Concert Review: Hunter Hayes Soaks in the Summer Heat at Madison, NE's Country Fair.

Hunter greeted us with a warm smile and a friendly, “Hello! How are you today? What’s your name? Where are you from?” He wasn't more than 5’7 in height and his small size and genuine interest put an admiring expression on adult women and adoring girls alike. On July 13th, 2013, I got the chance to not only watch the 21-year-old Louisiana native perform at Nebraska’s Madison Country Fair, but I was also lucky enough to meet the singer several hours before he performed. This was like a dream com true for me, because for a while now, I have looked up to Hunter Hayes and religiously listened to his music. Getting the opportunity to actually meet the singer was simply mind-boggling.

For all of you who may not know much about Hayes, let me simply start by saying that he is an absolutely amazing artist. He’s been nominated for several prestigious music awards including Grammy’s, CMA’s, and CMT’s. He has sung on shows including Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Talk, E! News, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also participated in the CMA Music Fest.

At a young age, Hayes played for Bill Clinton. He writes his own lyrics and plays a total of 30 instruments. Hayes has also been the opening act for stars including Taylor Swift, Rascal Flats, and Carrie Underwood. He is currently on his CMT Let's Be Crazy Tour with opening act, Ashley Monroe.

  

 

  

Hunter Hayes released his self-entitled debut album in 2011 which featured hit songs’, ‘Wanted’, ‘Storm Warning’, and ‘Somebody’s Heartbreak’. Earlier this year he released an updated version of his debut album, ‘Encore’. This album includes eight new, updated tracks and features his most recent hit, ‘I Want Crazy’. Hunter not only co-wrote all of his songs but he also co-produced both of his albums.

******

At the concert I attended, the music started later that evening at 7:00 p.m. as Neal McCoy, performed the opening act. McCoy swaggered around the stage with ease and sang with pure country twang. He joked about the current youth and the booths selling “Hunter Hayes crap”. McCoy was very comfortable with the audience and wasn’t too bad of a singer either.

When Hunter came on stage he entered with style. The audience was (or at least I was) getting antsy and so the cheers seemed about 10 times louder for Hayes then they were for McCoy. Hunter Hayes’ concert opened with flashing lights and a loud but amazing performance of ‘A Thing About You’. Opening with this song was not only a thrill to me, this song being one of my personal favorites on the album, but also a great start for the first performance of the evening. The song truly had the crowd excited.

Other songs that were featured in the concert included his well-known sing-along ‘Storm Warning’, his popular ‘Somebody’s Heartbreak’, ‘If You Told Me Too,’ ‘Love Makes Me’, ‘Faith To Fall Back On’ and ‘More Than I Should’ which is a song that he re-did for ‘Encore’. Hunter also performed the catchy ‘Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me’ where he explained the inspiration for the song was, “I must admit that I am awkward, shy, and quiet,” to which he got numerous cheers and hollers from the audience. “There was once a time in my life when I spent time with my friends they were all with a significant other. That’s okay except there comes a point where it gets tiring.” Hayes also did an amazing performance of ‘Rainy Season’. Personally, I believe that his live version of this song sounded better then his  recorded version. He also sang new songs that were added onto ‘Encore’. Hayes did an energetic performance of ‘Light Me Up’, and a superb performance of ‘Better Than This’. He also demonstrated his loyalty to American heroes by singing ‘Where We Left Off’ which he recorded specially for the movie, ‘Act of Valor’. For a bit of fun he performed a cover of 'This Love' by Maroon 5.

The best, most beautiful song that Hayes sang was hands down, ‘Wanted’. He started the song off by saying, “Thanks for making this my first number one single, guys. I love you.” Hayes let the audience sing the chorus by themselves and played the verses on his piano. Even though the stands and floor was packed with adoring fans, ‘Wanted’ had a very intimate feeling.

Two hours later, Hunter Hayes’s concert was completed with his newest single, ‘I Want Crazy’. Hayes showed off his impressive guitar skills and the whole crowd sang along with enthusiasm. It was a great ending and obviously everyone thought so because the crowd called for one more song. Hunter came bounding back on stage and performed a song that didn’t quite make the cut for ‘Encore’.

Hunter Hayes' energy while he performed was completely infectious. He smiled, ran, jumped, and simply rocked-out throughout the entire concert.

There was an amazing, and very positive energy in the crowd at this outdoor venue and fortunately, even though it was very warm previously that morning, it was an absolutely lovely night with a much-needed breeze.

Hunter was an incredible live performer and I am sure, as are many others, I was amazed and very pleased by his performance.

Seeing him in YouTube interviews, a person can automatically tell that Hayes loves what he does. Seeing him performed live confirmed all suspicions.

Hunter performed an amazing concert and even though his script could use some work he put on a brilliant night of music.

For more information on Hunter Hayes please visit the following websites:
 http://www.hunterhayes.com/
https://twitter.com/HunterHayes