On Wednesday, April 9th, Tyler Childers took his On The Road tour to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. It was his first-ever arena show in the state. With dramatic lighting and his unique, soulful, and raw voice, he immediately drew in the crowd. Childer’s voice has a high, nasal twang that makes it truly one of a kind. It suits the type of music he creates exceptionally well. One of the most remarkable things about Childers is that he’s now filling arenas not through hype or PR strategies, but solely on the power of his songwriting, which he delivers with heartfelt passion.
THE SHOW:
The intro to the concert had the crowd buzzing, excited for the moment that Childers would step out on stage and begin the show. He started with “Trudy,” which is a cover of the The Charlie Daniels Band’s original. This was a high-energy song that had the audience in awe. He then performed “Rustin’ In The Rain” (the title track for his most recent album) and “All Your’n” (a fan favorite).
While on the big stage, Childers used hypnotizing light effects and fun visuals that matched the energy of the songs he was singing. But after singing a couple more songs, including “Creeker” and a cover of “Tulsa Turnaround” by Kenny Rogers, he moved to a second, smaller stage in the middle of the venue for an acoustic set.
While on the center stage, he sang some of his most popular songs. This included “Shake The Frost,” “Lady May,” “Nose On The Grindstone,” and “Follow You To Virgie.” This was a very intimate part of the show. It was just Childers, his guitar, and for the second half of the acoustic set, two of his bandmates.
He then returned to the main stage, where the energy grew higher again. This is where I noticed something that Tyler Childers is well known for: his “crazy eyes.” While Childers performs, you can tell his passion for the music through his body language. His hand swings back and forth with the lyrics, and his eyes grow wide. He truly feels the music he sings, which is so incredible to watch.
One of my favorite moments from the show was when Tyler Childers sang “In Your Love.” It is a beautiful song about enduring love through hardship. With simple yet meaningful lyrics like, “I will wait for you / ‘Til the sun turns into ashes / And bows down to the moon / I will wait for you,” it was such a touching song to hear live. While the song was being played, a disco ball reflected light around the entire arena, and my friends and I all hugged. It was truly a beautiful memory.
THE MERCHANDISE:
At the venue, there was a giant merch stand with tons of options to choose from. I absolutely loved all of the merch that Tyler Childers had. It fit his brand’s image so well. The options ranged from hoodies to t-shirts to trucker hats and stickers. I bought the camo hat and the brown tour t-shirt with a map of the U.S. on the back.
THE AUDIENCE:
The crowd at this venue was a mix of many types of people. You had teenage girls wearing bright colored cowgirl boots, old-school country fans, college students in Carhartt, and tattooed 30-somethings who could recite every word on the Purgatory album. You could find fans in full cowboy apparel standing next to people in vintage band tees and Doc Martens, all united by a shared love for Tyler Childers’ honest songwriting and Appalachian soul.
I noticed that almost every other person was decked out in denim. From jeans to denim skirts and denim jackets, it was definitely the most popular clothing trend for this concert.
