There is a mutual love affair going on between Lainey Wilson and the UK country fan base, Friday night proved that this is still alive and thriving.
UK country fans are loyal. If a US artist shows their dedication to the UK fanbase at the start of the career and keeps coming back, they will be ride and die fans for that artist. Lainey Wilson has laid out a roadmap for other artists, much like Kip Moore and Cam. That dedication alone – to say nothing of her CMA wins and successes – earned Lainey her spot on the main stage (it’s a travesty she wasn’t second on the bill). Even despite losing her voice earlier in the week, Wilson delivered one of the most exhilarating performances of the weekend, with a hefty part of the setlist taken from tracks from her most recent album, Bell Bottom Country.
Lainey kicked off her set though with ‘LA,’ taken from her debut album – a gorgeous introduction to her amped up set, where her studio albums were kicked up a notch with the help of her band. It was a mark of her true showmanship that Lainey did not miss a beat throughout the set, even hitting the notes of her hit track ‘Heart Like A Truck.’ Wilson, more than anything, exhibited her vocal chops – even despite her illness – her signature twang married with an absolutely huge vocal that is simply astonishing in its live rendition.
It was a true marker for her UK fanbase of how far Lainey has come since performing at Bush Hall, to become one of the most exciting country stars of the moment. It seems inevitable that soon it will be her name topping the bill at C2C and we can’t wait for that set.
Setlist
LA
Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (cover of Rick Derringer)
Smell Like Smoke
Watermelon Moonshine
Hold My Halo
Mr. Big Stuff (cover of Jean Knight)
Wildflowers and Wild Horses
Wait in the Truck / Heart Like a Truck
Rolling Stone
What’s Up? (cover of 4 Non Blondes)
Things a Man Oughta Know
