TRACY LAWRENCE

Saturday May 4,  2024

@ The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

"What a wonderful time we’re having here tonight!” Tracy Lawrence exclaimed, gleaming an appreciative smile at the BIG time that he and his incredible band we’re experiencing this past weekend at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

It’s hard to believe that in his illustrious 30+ year career, that while the Texas Tornado has played the Mother Church of Country Music during several charity events and Grand Ole Opry performances, it took until this fateful night in 2024 that the legendary performer would host his first ever headlining show on music’s most famous stage.

In what was a bold definition of the impact that Tracy Lawrence has made on the country music genre, and is continuing to make today, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd held tightly to the milestone moment, ringing out echoes of harmony from the first note played to the last.

Accenting his setup with backing screens that provided stunning visual aspects and an obscurely placed Buddy Lee Attractions mannequin statue of Willie Nelson looming large at center stage, Lawrence transported us to “TL’s Roadhouse” as he embraced the buzzing aura that permeated from the floor seats to the balcony when he hit the stage with “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” instantly igniting the crowd as they swayed arm in arm with their seatmates while singing back each and every lyric.

“We’re gonna play some 90’s country tonight!” excitedly stamped Lawrence as the band dripped the energetic rollick of “If the Good Die Young” amongst an audible click track of boot heels tapping against the hardwood floors across the entire venue, instigating the first brush of an addictive, honky-tonk rhythm that would remain prevalent throughout the night.

Continuing to plow through the hit parade catalog of his career, Tracy expertly balanced his set between tempos, striking the crowd with the #1’s, the fan favorites, the softer ballads, and a nod to the influences of the past while keeping a toe firmly planted on his future.

Vibrating the old church pews with up-tempo flavors, Lawrence branded an outlaw style with “Renegades, Rebels and Rogues,” induced a Western swing element with “How a Cowgirl Says Goodbye,” lit a fire on the honky-tonk party with “My Second One” and the two-stepped flare of “Can’t Break It to My Heart,” and painted the simple life picture of the way it was and how it still ought to be with “If The World Had A Front Porch.”

Gripping the nostalgic vibe of his debut album with “Somebody Paints the Wall” and “Runnin’ Behind,” his well-placed medley of #1 songs early in the set, which included “Is That A Tear,” “I See It Now,” “Sticks and Stones,” “Alibis,” and “Texas Tornado,” not only delivered a powerful display of his foundations as an artist, but masterfully pulled the crowd into the snapshot moments of their lives. 

Though his entire set flashed a full-on embrace of his traditional country styled storytelling, his turn through heartfelt ballads really allowed his vocal to grab hold of the emotional tugs as he showcased why he is one of the most decorated singers of the genre with “Lessons Learned,” “Stars over Texas,” and “Nothin’ Burns Like You.”

Understanding the overwhelming importance of the hallowed stage which he stood upon, Lawrence soaked in the essence of the building itself when he honored the legends who paved the way, from a turn at Ray Price’s “For The Good Times” to a rebel-rousing medley that brought the rowdy crowd to their feet in honor of those we’ve lost in recent years; Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, Joe Diffie, and Charlie Daniels.

While in many ways this was an absolute celebration of one of country’s music’s most storied careers, and Lawrence certainly stood proudly on his past catalog, there was also a distinctive feel of an artist introducing his next chapter as he highlighted his upcoming EP Out Here In It with “Gulf of Mexico” and it’s title track, “Out Here In It,” the latter which he sang alongside Trey Lewis (the co-writer of the song) in a show-stopping, “Only In Nashville” moment.

Closing his initial set with “Time Marches On” and “Paint Me a Birmingham,” Lawrence was met with a deafening serenade alongside a standing ovation that reverberated so loudly the entire building felt as if it shifted at its foundation as it shook to its core.

With his lightning outlined “TL” logo flashing on the balcony walls that adorned either side of the stage, and the stamping of feet and clapping of hands echoing the idea of “one more song…one more song,” “Pretty Dang Good” opened the 2-song encore set, masterfully hitting an encouraging note that sent an optimistic aura over the crowd before he closed the entire night with the groove laden, “Better Man, Better Off.”

In full command of the stage, Tracy Lawrence expertly took the mid-size venue and transformed it into an intimate Texas dancehall that invited a one-on-one connection between artist and fan, metaphorically bringing even those who were seated in the last row of the balcony to a front row type of feeling.

But at the center of the great song selections and the memory moments that each next note provided to the crowd, Lawrence was brought to a humble pause many times throughout the night when he was met with thunderous ovations, genuinely standing grateful within the electricity of the atmosphere, soaking it all in as he stamped the next milestone mark on his amazing resume…a sold-out headlining show at The Ryman Auditorium!

FULL SET LIST

1) Find Out Who Your Friends Are

2) If the Good Die Young

3) Renegades, Rebels and Rogues

4) #1 Medley: Is That a Tear, I See It Now, Sticks and Stones, Alibis, Texas Tornado

5) How a Cowgirl Says Goodbye

6) Gulf of Mexico

7) Work on My Willie

8) Out Here In It

9) Runnin’ Behind

10) Somebody Paints the Wall

11) Lessons Learned

12) Stars over Texas

13) For the Good Times (Ray Price/Kris Kristofferson cover)

14) If the World Had a Front Porch

15) My Second Home

16) Nothin’ Burns Like You

17) Can't Break It to My Heart

18)  Medley: The Gambler, Kiss An Angel Good Morning, John Deere Green, The Devil Went Down to Georgia

19) Time Marches On

20) Paint Me A Birmingham

21) Pretty Dang Good

22) Better Man, Better Off 

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