The show was sold out in minutes. Second-hand tickets ran for hundreds of dollars and it was February 12th that fans had circled on their calendars for months. The snow falling outside could not scare away the faithful supporters, as the House of Blues played home to country music sensation, Sam Hunt.
It was Native Run who took to the stage first, opening up Hunt’s Lipstick Graffiti tour. A packed house for the opening act, the duo was full of excitement and enthusiasm, preparing the crowd for an entertaining night. With songs like ‘The Party Came Looking For Me’ and ‘When I’m Taken,’ Native Run reached out to the lively side of the audience, along with the softer side by slowing down the tempo a bit.
If there were people in the crowd who didn’t know the duo’s name prior to hearing them in Boston, they were leaving as fans. Native Run, comprised of Rachel Beauregard and Bryan Dawley, praised Boston for being one of their favorite cities to play in. “You get the ‘Best Show on Tour’ Award,” Rachel added. “I’m in love with y’all.” The loudest cheer for the group, however, came when Beauregard announced, “You make me want to be a Sox fan!” The audience took a liking to the cover songs they played, as they sang along to One Direction’s ‘Steal Your Girl’ and the always-popular TLC’s ‘Waterfalls.’ Bryan even joked with the majority-female crowd that “this is the most men in an audience for Sam Hunt we’ve seen.” The energetic twosome ended their set with their first ever radio single, ‘Good On You,’ and thanked the crowd profusely for being welcoming hosts.
The anticipation was building as the crew worked on the changeover, with a red, white and black ‘Sam Hunt’ backdrop center stage. The audience went wild as the Georgia native came out to a smoky platform dimly lit with red lights, mixing some of his ballads like ‘Speakers’ and ‘Break Up in a Small Town,’ then leading into ‘Ex to See.’ The fun, relatable songs had everyone singing along, swaying back and forth. It is so impressive to see one man light up the stage and have his fans so mesmerized. Hunt, who played here in Boston at the Hard Rock Café back in September, has only become more prized since then. ‘Leave The Night On’ was next up for the former college football player turned musician. His songs, which gain more popularity by the day, turned the House of Blues into one loud karaoke act for the entire evening.
Hunt’s first full-length album, ‘Montevallo’, didn’t take long to reach the top spot. With songs like ‘Make You Miss Me,’ ‘Take Your Time,’ and ‘House Party,’ there was no doubting Hunt was out to break records and gain gold. Some shows along his Lipstick Graffiti tour took mere seconds to sell out and he showed Boston why. The singer is a bit of a spitfire with his ability to mix rap into country, which is just another reason to love Sam. He was an entertainer in every sense of the word as he kept the crowd on their toes wanting more.
Also known for his talented writing ability, Hunt sang songs that some may not know he had a hand in making. ‘Cop Car,’ most notably recorded by Keith Urban, and Billy Currington’s ‘We Are Tonight,’ were a couple that Sam serenaded the crowd with. The concert took a slower approach when Hunt and his band members sat on bar stools in a shadow-filled atmosphere, playing acoustic covers of some throwbacks. Tyrone Carreker, the band’s electric guitarist, gave the rest of the band a little break as he played ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ in his deep, sultry voice. Destiny’s Child ‘Say My Name’ was the biggest hit during the acoustic set, as the fans erupted to Carreker’s part in the classic pop song. Even Hunt looked enthralled as his guitarist drew such a reaction from the crowd. Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ was a staple in the playlist as well. Next up, Sam covered Reba McEntire’s hit, ‘Fancy’ and Trisha Yearwood’s, ‘She’s in Love with the Boy’ to take the crowd back in time. After those melodies, it was the classic country tune ‘Strawberry Wine’ that had people smiling from ear to ear as he wrapped up his acoustic set. Shortly after that when Sam disappeared behind the stage for a few seconds and emerged on the second floor immersed in the crowd. Hanging off the balcony, he gave girls standing against the railing a night they would never forget. It was selfie-central as every person in the audience had their phones glued to the rock star who was singing with two thousand of his favorite New Englanders.
Unfortunately, the night had to come to an end and Sam chose to wind down by taking to just a keyboard and his microphone in a blue and pink lit stage, singing the catchy jam ‘Break Up in a Small Town.’ Luckily for the Sam fanatics, he is back in New England two more times this year, May 30th at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA and August 16th at the Bank of NH Pavilion in Gilford, NH, both with Lady Antebellum. A true entertainer leaves their fans wanting more- and that is exactly how Sam Hunt rocked a snowy Lansdowne Street.
This was written by Lauren Rose, contributing writer for New England Country Music. You can follow me on Twitter here.