Despite the dropping temperatures, fans in Connecticut were still able to go beachin’ as they joined Jake Owen on Friday, October 9th at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods. The party got started at 8:00pm as Kristian Bush took the stage for his 45-minute set. He was quick to point out that some people in the audience might not have recognized him by name. “Oh it’s that guy from Sugarland,” he said jokingly. “Oh, he can sing,” he added, continuing to mock the crowd, all in good fun. It wasn’t long, though, until he made a fan out of presumably everyone, judging from the applause. Bush is no novice to performing, having over 10 years of experience with Sugarland. It was clear that he’s comfortable on stage by the way he casually spoke to the crowd. “I believe music should do one of two things, it should either shake your hips or explode your heart. If it’s not doing one of those two things, turn it off,” he said before introducing his debut single as a solo artist, ‘Trailer Hitch.’ From there he played Sugarland’s 2004 hit, ‘Baby Girl,’ which he mentioned was the first song he wrote to end up on country radio.
“Because we’re at a Jake show, I’m going to play you my very first drinking song. I don’t drink much. I don’t get drunk much,” he said, eliciting a chorus of boos from the crowd. Sensing their disappointment, he added, “I have been over served before,” and the audience was cheering him on again. “Go with me on my journey,” he said as he introduced his song, ‘Flip Flops.’
Before continuing with his set, Bush told the audience he would be headed out to the merchandise table once he was done performing for those who wanted to meet him. “I’ll sign just about anything,” the singer said, “except babies.” (An understandable rule.) Bush began to wrap up his set with some of Sugarland’s most popular songs, ‘Stuck Like Glue’ and ‘All I Wanna Do,’ before closing with his album’s namesake, ‘Southern Gravity.’
A short intermission gave everyone some time to meet Kristian Bush or grab another drink while music bumped through the speakers keeping the energy up. Even songs like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ ‘Downtown’ and Fifth Harmony’s ‘Worth It’ had the country crowd up on their feet dancing in anticipation of Owen, who took the stage around 9:15.
In true Jake Owen fashion, the stage was set with palm trees, bamboo, and his signature tiki bars. Beach balls were being tossed around the audience as Jake appeared barefoot, opening with his 2013 hit, ‘Beachin.’ During his second number, ‘Anywhere With You,’ Jake changed some of the lyrics to, “Foxwoods Casino on a Friday night…” which provoked loud cheers from the audience. Jake was quick to start giving away tiki bar seats. He had the crowd lit up to help him search for some lucky fans. The first seats were awarded to a seven-year-old, Jonah, who was attending his first concert, and a woman who stood out by wearing a cowboy hat and light up outfit.
Owen proceeded with the show singing his 2006 single, ‘Yee Haw,’ and his hit, ‘Alone With You.’ “Is anybody having as much fun as I’m having so far?” the singer asked before performing his latest single, ‘Real Life.’ As the crowd was rocking out to his hit song, Owen pointed out a couple of people wearing “The Chive” t-shirts and invited them to have a seat at one of the tiki bars on stage. After getting his buddies settled in their new seats, Jake introduced the next song, ‘Good Company.’ “It’s a brand new song we’ve been playing the past couple nights. The boys and I recorded it in our dressing room,” he said. The fun, feel-good song kept much of the audience on their feet dancing along.
During the next break between songs, Jake brought a sheet of paper, “I need to discuss something with you,” he said in a serious tone. “I’ve been told there was a hard curfew,” he explained, “But I just saw this on the side of the stage and it says ‘Good until 11!’” Owen said with a huge smile on his face. Without wasting another minute, Jake jumped into a medley of cover songs, playing bits of ‘Chattahoochee’ and ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’ by Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn, respectively. “I want to share with you the reason I love country music and the songs that made me who I am. Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, ‘The Chair’ by George Strait,” Owen said. “You guys light this place up,” he added, instructing the fans to hold up their cellphone lights as he sang ‘The Dance’ by Garth Brooks.
From there Jake returned to singing his original songs, ‘The One That Got Away’ and ‘Tall Glass of Something,’ which were followed by an emotional performance of ‘What We Ain’t Got.’ He noted that the 2013 single was his favorite song he’s ever recorded. Owen didn’t keep the mood somber for long, he kicked things back up with his 2006 hit, ‘Eight Second Ride.’ This song included a walk through of the audience where a fan got a little too close for comfort. Jake’s team had to help pull the woman away as she grabbed at Owen’s shoulders and chest. Although the singer looked a little shocked, he hardly missed a beat, continuing on with the performance as if nothing happened.
Jake returned to the stage and finished up the set with his upbeat hits, ‘Summer Jam’ and ‘Tipsy.’ Loud cheers from the audience, and the fact that it wasn’t quite 11:00pm yet, meant that Jake was sure to come back out for an encore. Owen returned to sing his 2011 chart-topping single, ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, which everyone sang along to.
One thing is certain about Jake Owen, he never ceases to deliver a good time. He treats his fans like friends, inviting them to have a seat on stage with him, and continues to interact with the crowd throughout the entire show. Combine that with a heap of feel-good party songs, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a fun, unforgettable night.
