Lainey Wilson returns to Sioux Falls for first headlining arena tour – The Collegian

Louisiana-born country music star Lainey Wilson returned to Sioux Falls, SD on Saturday, November 9th, bringing her Country’s Cool Again tour to the Denny Sanford Center. It marked her first solo headlining performance in Sioux Falls since April 2022.

The tour is in support of Wilson’s third major album, ‘Whirlwind’, which was released in August. In the months leading up to its release, Wilson received many prestigious awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and was named both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association’s ‘Entertainer of the Year’

Two of country music’s liveliest male newcomers opened the show, Jackson Dean and Zach Top. Dean was nominated for the Academy of Country Music’s ‘New Male Artist of the Year’ earlier this year and has found success on country radio, including his number one single, “Don’t Come Lookin.” Top is currently nominated for the Country Music Association’s ‘New Artist of the Year’ award and is climbing the country charts with his singles “I Never Lie” and “Sounds Like The Radio.”

Wilson kicked off his set with the rock-influenced single, “Hang Tight Honey,” which had the entire arena on their feet. She was supported on stage by her longtime bandmates, a proplast car and many large screens.

Before moving into an acoustic portion of the set, Wilson introduced himself to the audience and thanked everyone for coming. She talked about everything that has happened in her life since the last time she was in South Dakota, and highlighted the inspiration behind her new album, her boyfriend, former NFL player, Duck Hodges.

Wilson’s set lasted an hour and a half and consisted of her hit singles and tracks from ‘Whirlwind.’ She threw in some other deep cuts from her older albums, including “Smell Like Smoke,” which was featured on the hit TV show, Yellowstone.

While most of Wilson’s familiar tracks with fans are mid-tempo ballads, her set list featured a lot of upbeat tunes and reworked versions of the slower songs. Highlights from the show included a solo stripped-down version of her breakthrough single, “Things A Man Oughta Know” and a medley of her hit collaborations with fellow country artists Cole Swindell, Hardy and Jelly Roll.

When I reviewed Wilson’s 2022 concert, my takeaway from the show was she was on her way to becoming the next big star in country music. Strong work ethic, unique image and sound helped propel Wilson into the superstardom she’d worked toward the decade before, and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Set list:

1. “Hold on baby”
2. “Straight up sideways”
3. “Smells like smoke”
4. “Dirty appearance”
5. “Good Horses” (with Jackson Dean)
6. “Things a man should know”
7. “In the middle of it”
8. “Whirlwind”
9. “Heart like a truck”
10. “Bar In Baton Rouge” / “Proud Mary”
11. “Ring Finger”
12. “Atta Girl”
13. “Watermelon Moonshine”
14. “Keep Up With Jones” (featuring Zach Top)
15. “The country is cool again”

Encore

1. “Never Say Never” / “Wait in the Truck” / “Save Me”
2. “4x4xU”
3. “Wildflowers and wild horses”