Dec 3^rd Columbus, Ohio – When writing a show review, the part that takes the longest for me, is how to open. You can’t start every one of them the same even though so many concert experiences start with a similar tone. Once I get them started, I can keep the energy rolling from there. That said, starting off this review was not hard at all. This was my first concert review since Covid started as my last show was Garth Brooks in February of 2020. This concert review was for Cody Johnson which is a perfect Ice breaker from hiatus. The excitement was real and obvious with me, and for damn good reason. I have been supporting, promoting and rooting for Cody to get what he deserves and where he needs to be since I first heard him on the radio back in 2017. That, and I genuinely missed doing these concerts reviews, photo opps and interviews. 

I first saw Cody live back in 2019 when he did some dates opening for Justin Moore. I was blown away watching Cody and the band do their thing and it left myself and many others wanting more than the 40 minute set that he had that night. I had tickets for Cody’s March 2020 show in Detroit, but that was cancelled like everything else in the country as Covid shut down the music scene along with everything else. I also had tickets for October 2021 in Detroit but that show was also cancelled for unknown reasons. It became obvious that if I was going to get to see Cody live at least once in 2021, that would involve taking a little road trip. Columbus, Ohio…here we come.

I was able to find a buddy to make the trip with me, so we grabbed a room online, made the three-and-a-half-hour drive to WCOL 92.3 FM’s Winter Wonder Jam. The lines to get into the venue were long at all sections and that made me happy because that meant that these thousands of people were either there to see Cody Johnson do his thing. Regretfully, we could not make it to the venue in time for Morgan Wade. I was really disappointed because I like ‘Wilder Days’ and was looking forward to seeing her play it in a live setting. We did make it in to catch at least a few songs from Nate Barnes though. I didn’t recognize his name but I did enjoy the few songs that we heard, and I definitely knew one of the last ones they played. As we watched him, several people mentioned that he kind of sounded like Jake Owen and while I can see why they thought that with the same tones and similarities, the two definitely have their own thing going. Keep an eye out for Morgan and Nate if either of them ever plays in your area.

It was now time for what myself and so many others have been patiently waiting for. Cody Johnson was about to take the stage. This was one of the few times where I was actually excited as a fan and not just a contributor for a media publication. It’s always extra special when it’s a music artist you’re really into. I told my friend I’d be back in about 20 minutes as I headed down to the photo pit area for the start of the show. A few people from 92.3 came out to thank everyone for attending the event and then announced Cody Johnson. The lights went down, the band came out and the crowd went crazy. Cody walked out onto the stage and it was definitely a mutual feeling between him and us. We were all so ready for this. I normally make a list of songs played throughout the night or certain things I notice an artist do during the show but not this night.  I remember so many things to include in this review and I was honestly enjoying it way too much to bother or care. His energy was amazing and it didn’t stop, or even diminish, until the very last song.

Although this is my first show review in quite a long time, I’ve been to many concerts in the last 6 months. I love how you can tell just how much these musicians and artists miss playing live. Most bands for country artists have great chemistry but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so obvious with a band. The guys in Cody’s band have such good chemistry and play off each other so well. You not only have Cody to watch, you get drawn into paying attention to what these guys are up too as well. I think another thing that I love about Cody is how he just seems so down-to-earth and real. I love what he talks about between songs and what he believes and shows passion for. The night went on and there were just so many great songs played, one after another. It gave me goosebumps to see thousands of people seeing and feeling what I see in this guy. I can’t stress enough how much anyone who loves good, true country music needs to check out and support Cody Johnson.

I’m going to wrap this all up and close with some highlights from this incredible night. First, I want to thank every single person that’s part of Cody’s crew. From the band members, tour manager, publicists and production manager. You can tell that every single one of you believes in Cody just as much as he believes in himself and that is why you’re all such an amazing team. Your work is a major contributing factor to cody’s success. Cody and his crew invited me on stage for ‘Nothing On You’ to capture a picture of him standing there with thousands of people in the background holding cellphones and lighters. It’s something I’ll never forget.

Pretty much all of my favorite songs were played and I got extra excited about ‘Long Haired Country Boy’, ”Til You Can’t’ and of course ‘Dear Rodeo’. Hearing some songs from the new album played live was also nice to experience. What an incredible night, and I can’t wait to hopefully repeat it again very soon. Thanks again to everyone involved with approving our media approval and making sure I had such an incredible experience, that includes the kindness and realness of Cody himself. 2022 is all yours, bro. Take it !

A quote from Cody from the show that night. “I’m gonna give you another one of my opinions tonight”. “Country music on country radio doesn’t sound like country music anymore in my opinion (pause) and we’d like to change that”. You are Cody, trust me. You definitely are.

Article and photos: Howie Herula