Another Jason Aldean tour and another year where we here at Full Access Detroit are honored and privileged to be able to cover it once again. I’m always excited to be asked to be a part of this when he comes around and this year was definitely no exception. The ‘Highway Desperado’ tour has been garnering much hype this summer and with a lineup that also includes Mitchell Tenpenny and Corey Kent, it’s not hard to see why. Dee Jay Silver is also a part of this tour. He’s been touring with Jason for the last few years and always does a great job keeping the crowd pumped up between bands mixing up different genres of music to keep the masses entertained.

This review will also knock off another item from my bucket list. We all have a bucket
list, some of us have a few different ones. I fall into the latter category. I have one for people that I
want to meet, one for places and/or things that I want to see or do and one for things that most people might not understand, like maybe a photographer getting to take pictures at some epic location, getting to interview some famous person in some historical or legendary venue or setting or maybe writing a concert review aboard a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. As I write this one, I’m currently sitting on deck 14 of the Celebrity Equinox, staring out at the ocean and listening to the waves crash as we close in on the Grand Cayman Islands. One of my bucket list items on level 3 has officially been achieved.

As we walked into the venue for this one the timing couldn’t have been more perfect as the opening act, Corey Kent, took the stage and opened his set with his latest single, ‘Something’s Gonna Kill Me’. While I was surprised that he played it so early in the set, I was still happy to hear it being one of my favorite songs of his and one that I truly believe is going to play a big part in taking his career even further. Corey only had about 30 minutes to play, but he sounded great. He was sporting his Detroit Lions jersey which got great reactions from the audience. He closed it all out with ‘Wild as Her’, a song that I’ve loved since the first time I heard it and big hit for him getting into the top 20 on the country charts and made it to number one on the Mediabase chart. Keep your eyes open for this kid, he’s going to do big things.

Next up was Mitchell Tenpenny. A guy who is no stranger to country radio and to country music fans. This was my first time seeing Mitchell live after being a fan of him and liking of several of his songs over the last few years. Mitchell was fired up this night and the crowd was feeding off of it and giving it right back. I guess I didn’t realize just how popular he was here in Michigan, and I was blown away to see the crowds energy and excitement and hear them sing along loudly to so many of the songs he played. The hits just kept coming as he went though his set playing ‘At the End of a Bar’, ‘Drunk Me’, ‘We Got History’, and ‘Truth About You’, just to name a few. I enjoyed his set very much that night and was especially touched and impressed when he did a very powerful and moving version of ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls. A band that I’ve always admired and a song that I’ve always loved. Well done, Mitchell, I look forward to catching you play live again soon.

By now the venue was packed and it was another show this year at Pine Knob that sold out far in advance. The place is always full of energy and excitement when Jason Aldean comes to town and I could tell that once again, him and the band would not disappoint the fans who came out to see them do their thing. The lights when out, the crowd went wild and Jason came out sporting a Gram Parsons shirt, a nice touch if I do say so myself. I always love it when these current music stars show love and respect to so many of the old school artists. Especially someone like Gram who many would agree never got the attention and hype that he deserved. You could tell that guys were fired up right from the start, ready to put on one hell of a show for this Detroit area crowd. ‘Tattoos on This Town’, ‘When She Says Baby’ and ‘That’s What Tequila Does’ came early in the set and had the crowd on its feet right from the start. Jason told some stories and then praised our Detroit Lion’s for their win against the defending Superbowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, even mentioning that he was rooting for us to win. That of course made the crowd go wild. The hits just kept coming with “Rearview Town’, ‘Amarillo Sky’, and ‘Try That in a Small Town’. Before playing it that night, he gave a great speech and talked about the controversy surrounding the song. Talking about what it meant to him and why he decided to cut that
particular track. The audience couldn’t agree more, and I agreed. The pride of being an American and understanding that whole vibe of loving your country, loving and helping your neighbors and friends and the community vibe and genuine concern that is present in so many cities, especially all of our small towns, is something special.

The evening continued on and the band and crowd were showing no signs of stopping. More hits went on and on and as ‘Dirt Road’, ‘Got What I Got’, and ‘Trouble with a Heartbreak’. There was a time, I can’t remember exactly which song, but Jason got behind one of his guitar players and was playing the guitar while behind him. That was really cool to see and the crowd was eating it up. A few more hits came along as the boys played ‘Big Green Tractor’, which turned into and incredibly loud sing along with the crowd, ‘When the Lights Come On’, ‘Hicktown’ and ‘My Kinda Party’. I unfortunately had to leave about 10 minutes before the end of the show with having to be at the airport by 6am the next day, but I’m sure the final songs were just as intense. The crowd was definitely not ready for this night to end.

In closing this one out. Another great show from Jason Aldean and the boys. Another great night of live country music in town with good friends and fellow fans and another memory to add to the books from what has been such an incredible year of live music. Thanks as always to Jason’s team for approving us and allowing us to cover another tour. It’s always appreciated and never taken for granted. I hope you all enjoyed this if you checked it out. Until the next one.

-Howie D