On Friday, February 3rd, Michael Ray brought his Think a Little Less Tour to Connecticut, making a stop at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun. The free show meant that fans began lining up early to make sure they got into the venue which filled up fast. While some fans opted for seats, many chose to stand for the night and began to fill in the space around the stage where they’d have the most up close and personal view of the show. As expected, the Den eventually filled to capacity and some fans weren’t able to make it in, but it didn’t stop people from packing the perimeter and nearby bar where they still had great view of the stage.
This leg of Ray’s tour featured newcomer, Levi Hummon, who opened the show at 8:00 sharp. The 25 year old typically has a full band, but fans were treated to an acoustic set from the singer who started with a mashup of his own ‘Window Down Days’ and a cover of ‘Wake Me Up.’ It didn’t take much to captivate the crowd and Hummon’s energetic opening set the tone for the night. He moved into another song from his self-titled EP, ‘Chain Reaction,’ before getting the crowd to sing along to a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin.’ In continuing with songs that are older than Hummon, the singer followed up by covering Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car,’ but kept it current by mixing it up the classic with his own unreleased, ‘Don’t Waste the Night.’ The combo fit together seamlessly and had pretty much everyone’s toes tapping. Levi took a minute to slow it down for a bit playing another original, ‘Make It Love.’ He wrote the track with his dad, Marcus Hummon, who has penned number one hits for artists like Rascal Flatts and the Dixie Chicks. Levi announced that it was actually his second time playing the Wolf Den as he had headlined the venue himself back in June 2016. He went on to conclude his 30 minute set with a cover of Travis Tritt’s ‘It’s a Great Day to be Alive’ and his own, incredibly catchy, ‘Love You Hate You Miss You.’ A job well done as everyone was pumped up and eager to continue the party with Michael Ray.
At 8:45 the lights went down and the music was cranked up to hype fans up for the night’s headliner. Moments later, Ray’s band began to take the stage one by one until finally the singer made his own energetic entrance. The mostly female crowd lost control as Ray kicked things off with ‘Another Girl.’ He transitioned from the high energy opener to ‘Run Away With You,’ a song that Ray co-wrote with John Rich of Big & Rich. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight, this is a dream!” Michael said to the crowd after the song had ended. “I can’t wait to spend the next hour with you guys, let’s get this thing going!” He moved on to another upbeat original, ‘Look Like This,’ from his debut album before taking another small break to talk with the crowd again. “It’s my first time playing Mohegan Sun… I’m going to need four more days to figure out how to get around this place,” he laughed. Honestly, we can’t blame him as we still find ourselves a little lost from time to time trying to navigate the casino. Switching to a more serious tone, Michael explained how his second single means a lot to him. ‘Real Men Love Jesus,’ although not penned by the singer himself, reminds Ray of the men he was surrounded by growing up, namely his father and grandfather. He went on to perform the hit as fans sang along word for word.
“Man we’re having a good time,” Ray exclaimed. “We’ve got a lot to celebrate. I met a couple of ladies having birthdays tonight, I also want to point out the awesome beautiful couple that’s been dancing all night. Raise y’all’s drinks, I want to thank y’all for coming out… You can be anywhere in the world, man, and you chose to be here at Mohegan Sun!” he toasted the crowd. “We cut this song a long time ago and we decided to make it our new single,” Michael said introducing ‘Think a Little Less.’ He kept things on the slower side playing three more songs from his debut album, ‘Everything in Between,’ ‘Somewhere South’ and ‘Wish I Was Here.’ As part of a run of acoustic songs, Michael introduced the crowd to artists and songs that have influenced him over the past couple years. This included Sam Hunt’s ‘House Party,’ Kip Moore’s ‘Beer Money,’ and Brantley Gilbert’s ‘Bottoms Up.’ And of course Ray had to include the man who took him on tour last summer – his ode to Darius Rucker was a combined ‘Let Her Cry’ and ‘Wagon Wheel.’ It was pretty clear that Michael and his fans have similar taste as the crowd was singing along to each and every cover.
As the band made their way back out, Michael had the fans start a special chant for his drummer, Andrew, who was soon to become a father. “Go, Andrew, go, Andrew, go,” the crowd shouted as he performed an explosive drum solo. “What a beautiful day to be here with your friends celebrating country music,” Michael shouted, moving on to ‘Livin’ It Up,’ ‘Driving All Night, and David Lee Murphy’s ‘Dust On The Bottle.’ Keeping the party going until the last minute, Ray finished his set with the dynamic, ‘This Love’ before exiting the stage. Of course that wasn’t the end, though, as he had yet to play his hit, ‘Kiss You in the Morning.’ But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make the crowd work for it. The audience cheered louder and louder, such an uproar could very well have been heard on the other end of the casino, until finally Michael reappeared on stage to perform the chart-topper. Fans crowded the stage as Ray reached out to touch hands and take photos during the last few moments of his set. “Thank you for changing our lives!” he exclaimed as the song ended and he waved goodbye.
Ray wasn’t gone for long though. The singer, along with Hummon, stuck around after the show for a meet and greet open to anyone, no passes necessary. We’d place our bets that almost everyone at the show took advantage of this as the line wrapped around the entire venue. Michael and Levi hung out until almost 11 pm taking photos and signing merchandise for every single fan, making sure that everyone left with a huge smile on their face. Michael is still as humble as the first time we saw him playing in a small local bar, yet he has the stage presence of a seasoned pro. With a smile that will melt any fangirl’s heart, an infectious energy, and catchy songs to boot, you won’t want to miss him the next time he’s around. We’re definitely counting down the days until we can see him again at the NECM Festival in August!
