On Friday, November 13th, presumably one of the largest crowds that Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den has ever seen, showed up for the Cole Swindell show. The concert, part of Cole’s Down Home Tour, drew in hundreds of fans who spent their day at the Connecticut casino waiting in line to get into the free, first-come, first-serve venue. Rumor has it that some folks even arrived the night before to lock in a spot.
By the time 8pm rolled around, the large crowd was anxious to get things started, so fans were thrilled when Adam Sanders took the stage to kick things off. While many people may not have recognized Adam by name, most were familiar with his work. Sanders is responsible for penning hits for artists like Luke Bryan, Dustin Lynch, and even Cole Swindell. He incorporated some of these co-writes into his set Friday night which included ‘Out Like That’ by Bryan, ‘Hell of a Night’ by Lynch, and Michael Ray’s newest single, ‘Real Men Love Jesus.’ Sanders also performed some original songs like ‘Somewhere That You Don’t Go,’ ‘Burning Roses,’ and ‘Thunder,’ which he mentioned was being added to radio the next week. The Florida native did a fantastic job getting the crowd fired up with his contagious energy and multitude of upbeat hits. Adam closed out his 45-minute set with his 2014 single, ‘Nothin’ to Do but Drink.’ He kept the party going through the very end with lyrics like, “We goin’ all night long, you got a cup fill it up strong, just sippin’ on the good times,” which were very relatable to the rambunctious crowd. Sanders looked like he was having just as much fun as everyone else as he high-fived and toasted fans in the pit before exiting the stage.
The break between sets lasted about 30 minutes and during that time many fans seized the opportunity to inch their way closer to the stage. Cole Swindell came out around 9:15 in a plaid button-down shirt and his signature Georgia Southern University hat. He opened with his hit, ‘Down Home Boys,’ and you could already tell it was going to be a wild night. The fans went crazy and waved their drinks around as he performed ‘Hey Y’all’ and ‘Brought to You by Beer.’ In awe of the turnout, Cole acknowledged the massive crowd and said, “Some of you ladies in the back might have to find you some shoulders to hop on,” which served as the perfect introduction to ‘Get Up.’ Does he say that everywhere? Maybe, but it worked. Even some of the girls in the front hopped up on someone’s shoulders and ended up practically face-to-face with the singer. From there he moved on to his well-known hit, ‘Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,’ and had everyone in the crowd singing along loudly. “I saw all the tweets, I’m sorry for y’all that couldn’t get in here,” Swindell said genuinely at the song’s close. Fan’s comments on social media revealed that some people had been waiting as long as seven hours and still didn’t make it into the venue due to capacity. Those who were turned down packed the perimeter of the Wolf Den where they still had a decent view of the stage. Regardless, they made the best of it by singing, dancing, and partying just as hard as everyone inside.
The Georgia native continued with the set performing a run of new songs like ‘Shuttin’ It Down,’ ‘Dangerous After Dark,’ and ‘Blue Lights’ from his recently released EP, ‘Down Home Sessions II.’ Even though the EP was released just a week prior to the concert, many of the fans already had the lyrics down and were singing along. It was easy to see that this got Cole even more pumped up. Swindell moved around the stage, hopped up on speakers, and spun around feeding off the crowd’s energy. After a few new songs, the fans we’re ready to rock out to something more familiar again. “Let’s see if we can make this song number one this week!” the singer said before playing ‘Let Me See Ya Girl.’ No surprise here, just two days later Swindell tweeted a photo with the caption, “4 #1’s in a row…I can’t even describe this feeling!! Love everyone who helped make it happen. #letmeseeyagirl,” announcing the good news. The remainder of Cole’s set included a mixture of original songs and ones that he co-wrote for his “buddies.” Despite the fact that most of the crowd had been standing all day, they were still on their feet jamming out to songs like ‘Ready,’ ‘My First Radio,’ ‘Should’ve Ran After You,’ and Thomas Rhett’s ‘Get Me Some of That.’ “Why don’t we do the song that got me here,” Swindell said before closing out his set with his 2013 debut single, ‘Chillin’ It.’ Cole let the crowd do some singing during the chorus, while he spun around and held the mic out.
As ‘Chillin’ It’ came to an end and Cole left the stage, it was obvious that wasn’t enough for the uproarious crowd who cheered and chanted for more. After a short time, a video of Jason Aldean talking about Swindell played on the screen above the stage. “Keep practicing, you’ll get there one day,” said Aldean. The crowd erupted into cheers when Cole re-appeared on stage, now donning a vintage Alan Jackson t-shirt and his hat turned backwards. “This year we got to tour with Jason Aldean,” he said before playing part of Aldean’s hit song, ‘Big Green Tractor.’ He went on to mention how he had the opportunity to join Kenny Chesney on tour at Gillette Stadium. The crowd cheered as Cole announced ‘Don’t Happen Twice’ as the first song he ever played in college. He interrupted the song to say, “Thank you for letting me live my dream!” The encore continued with another one of Cole’s co-writes. This one he wrote with Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley – the trio’s 2014 hit, ‘This Is How We Roll.’ The party anthem has rap-like verses which Cole executed flawlessly and an energetic chorus that made standing still out of the question.
But of course that wasn’t it. “I’ve got one more for ya,” Swindell said. “We got any single folks or anybody with an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend?” the singer asked, adding, “They aren’t worth your time and they damn sure ain’t worth the whiskey!” The fans went crazy for the final song of the night. Adam Sanders, who helped write the tune, came back out to perform the alongside Swindell. During a musical break in the song, Cole said to the audience, “I want to thank all you fans! I know you all have been waiting in line for a long time.” He pointed out that Veterans Day had just passed and extended a special thank you to all the men and women who serve our country. As nothing gets a country crowd fired up quite like patriotism, Swindell asked the audience to sing along to the last chorus of the song. The fans shouted out the lyrics, “yeah, I’m raising my glass to those savin’ our ass overseas,” as Cole held the microphone out towards the crowd. “I want y’all to sing this last chorus one last time,” he said. ”I want everyone who’s not watching this show to wonder what the hell is going on!” The crowd sang out in compliance and the singer was beaming. “I’m pretty sure all your exes heard that!” as he let out a little laugh. “My name is Cole Swindell,” he said making his final exit.
It seemed that everyone was in agreement that Swindell put on a show that was well worth the wait. Cole’s passion for country music always shines through in every performance, which keeps fans coming back for more. It’s hard to believe that this was someone selling merchandise for Luke Bryan not too long ago as he performs on stage like a pro. Every show he puts on what looks like the best night of his life – and it’s contagious. He’s always wearing a huge smile, hardly ever stands still, and is never short on genuine thank you’s and appreciation for his fans. The singer has a strong connection with the crowd and makes everyone feel like one of his down home boys for the night. One thing is certain, it’s nearly impossible not to have a good time at a Cole Swindell concert and it’s why the crowd just keeps on growing.
