On a Saturday night for a jam packed house, Dustin Lynch delivered a performance that went above and beyond wildest expectations. Fans were reported waiting in line for the free first-come first-serve basis venue as early as 11 AM, nine hours before the show even began, and for very good reason. Lynch is no rookie to success, coming in with five singles in the US Country top 40 charts, and tracks reaching Gold and Platinum status. The star power was there, the droves of fans were there, all accumulating into a wild evening.
The Wolf Den was at maximum capacity and the unlucky fans that couldn’t get inside lined the exterior nearly ten deep the entire way around as the place erupted, welcoming the Texas native to the stage. Lynch began with hit ‘To The Sky,’ off of his latest 2014 album ‘Where It’s At,’ and never looked back from there. “It’s good to be back here in the Den!” exclaimed Lynch, as an engine rev of a tractor blared from the PA. “There’s just something about those New England country girls!” said an amped up Lynch, kicking into a crowd favorite, ‘She Cranks My Tractor.’
The hits just kept coming and coming as the show progressed, with a new song in ‘Halo,’ ‘All Night,’ and latest single, ‘Wild In Your Smile.’ “Cheers to you guys for coming out to stand in line since this morning!” shouted a still highly energetic Lynch, as the entire casino floor seemed to erupt in cheers. “Now what are the chances that there’s any Joe Diffie fans out there?” teased Lynch, taking the band on a time machine for trip down memory lane featuring Diffie’s ‘John Deere Green,’ ‘Meet in the Middle’ by Diamond Rio, and mega-hit ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie,’ originally made famous by legendary duo Brooks and Dunn.
After a few more original songs, ‘Name On It,’ ‘Middle Of Nowhere,’ and ‘Hell Of A Night,’ the band picked up and left, leaving Lynch the long performer on the stage. Dustin began his acoustic set with single ‘Daddy’s Boots,’ and then went on to tell the audience about meeting a few soldiers from the nearby Groton/New London Naval Base, saluting them with a strong performance of ‘Great Day To Be Alive,’ a classic hit made famous by Travis Tritt, with his band rejoining him onstage at the end of the first chorus.
Lynch didn’t stray far from cover songs again, this time with a surprising performance of ‘Rodeo,’ obvious super hit by another crowd pleaser in a cowboy hat, Garth Brooks. After playing the song ‘Mind Reader,’ Lynch had a confession for the crowd. “The best part about coming back to play here is that we get to stick around all night right here for an after party!” brining the night into another crowd favorite, ‘After Party.’
“My grandparents were high school sweethearts back in the day, so I decided to write a song about their love story,” explained Lynch, once again his acoustic guitar back in hand, beginning the opening chords of 2012 mega hit, his first single and highest charting song to date, ‘Cowboys And Angels.’ The night could’ve ended then and satisfied every fan in the venue, but Dustin couldn’t end there, bringing us his final song choice of the evening, title track from his 2014 album, ‘Where It’s At.’ As he cracked a massive smile and took his bows, the entire crowd left the venue with a similar grin, seemingly impossible after leaving such a phenomenal performance. Dustin is currently out on tour with Luke Bryan for the rest of the year with no dates scheduled in New England, but with multiple dates in neighboring New York throughout the year it may just be worth the drive to see a rising superstar in the music industry.