On a steamy July night down by the lake in Toronto, Thomas Rhett's Very Hot Summer Tour lived up to its name, and then some. The country superstar was joined by Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, Rhett Akins, and thousands of fans at a sold-out Budweiser Stage for a big night of music and entertainment.
The sun was high and bright when the show started, and the stars and bright lights were shining in the night sky when it ended. But through it all there was country music and a Thursday night party.
Toronto was the 12th show of 39 scheduled on the Very Hot Summer Tour. And if the rest of the cities on the calendar get the show that Bud Stage got, everyone's going to be happy.
Rhett Akins kicked off the show with a mix of nostalgia and new country that hit all the right notes for us. And the fans who came through the gates early and grabbed their seats showed him their appreciation for it.
The 90's country star greeted the Toronto fans and told them that he was going to sing them some songs he wrote and went from there in his quick five-song opening set. What we didn't expect was that some of the songs that he was going to play were hits that Akins has penned over the last few years, in addition to a couple of his own biggest hits from country radio.
After opening his set with Dirt On My Boots (released by Jon Pardi), Rhett Akins asked the crowd, "We got any 90's country fans in the house?". And while it was still early, the cheer he received was the perfect lead into his 1996 hit, Don't Get Me Started.
It may have been 10 years since Rhett Akins hit the road on a tour (as he told the crowd), but the veteran country performer looked just as comfortable as ever. And when we wrapped his set with That Ain't My Truck, all of the nostalgia and 90's country love came out, giving Toronto a special moment early in the night, and setting the table for the show.
Rhett Akin Setlist, Very Hot Summer Tour 2019 Toronto☀️ Dirt On My Boots
☀️ Don't Get Me Started
☀️ I Don't Want This Night To End
☀️ Boys Round Here
☀️ That Ain't My Truck
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Union City, Tennessee's Russell Dickerson was next to the stage with the goal of continuing to kick off the party. And that he did.
From the start of his set with Billions, Dickerson brought a big hit of energy to the Budweiser Stage and kept it going til he waved goodbye. He was singing, dancing, jumping, working the crowd, and it truly looked like this dude was having the time of his life up there.
We got to see Russell D up on stage last summer at Boots & Hearts, and that same energy, enthusiasm, and entertainment value was on display again on Thursday. And when he sang Yours and Blue Tacoma, he got all of that back from the crowd in the form of voices singing the words right back at him as loud as they could.
And they sang again for him one more time when the country-pop performer mixed in some of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody as he closed his six-song set with MGNO (My Girl's Night Out). It was a great mix of legendary pop fun with Russell Dickerson's own brand of new country sound.
We'll be seeing more of him doing all of that again in the not too distant future, we're sure of it.
Russell Dickerson Setlist, Very Hot Summer Tour 2019 Toronto☀️ Billions
☀️ Every Little Thing
☀️ Float
☀️ Yours
☀️ Blue Tacoma
☀️ MGNO (w/ I Wanna Dance With Somebody)
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In the second-to-last slot, playing for a crowd that was ready to roll, a few drinks in, and happy to be at the Budweiser Stage, was Dustin Lynch.
The 34-year-old Tennessee native took the stage in denim and a cowboy hat and drove it like he owned it. With a big smile on his handsome face, Lynch was in control, rolling out his hits, and had the Toronto country fans in a really good mood.
With nine of his own songs and two quick medleys thrown in, Dustin Lynch gave the audience a whole lot to engage with. They knew the words and sang along to Seein' Red, Mind Reader, and Cowboys And Angels. They danced and partied for One Hell Of A Night and Small Town Boy.
During the set, Lynch told his story of growing up and falling in love with country music and making the decision to pursue it as a career. While he did it, he played through a medley of Chattahoochee, Something Like That, What Was I Thinkin', and Somebody Like You, not only did the fans sing along, they got to become part of the story.
It had been just over three years since Lynch's last visit to the Bud Stage, but if his career keeps up the way it has been, and he keeps playing shows like this one to earn new fans, we don't think we'll have to wait until the summer of 2022 to see him here again!
Dustin Lynch Setlist, Very Hot Summer Tour 2019 Toronto☀️ Seein' Red
☀️ One Hell Of A Night
☀️ That's Where It's At
☀️ Mind Reader
☀️ I'd Be Jealous Too
☀️ Cowboys And Angels
☀️ Medley 1
Chattahoochee (Alan Jackson) // Something Like That (Tim McGraw) // What Was I Thinkin' (Dierks Bentley) // Somebody Like You (Keith Urban)
☀️ Medley 2
Beautiful, Crazy (Luke Combs) // Tequila (Dan + Shay) // Die A Happy Man (Thomas Rhett)
☀️ Night Like This
☀️ Good Girl
☀️ Small Town Boy
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In the time that it took to change over the stage and get things ready for the night's main event, you could hear and feel the buzz in the air at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto.
And when the lights flashed and Thomas Rhett burst through the stage riser, into the air, and revealed himself to the thousands of fans that were waiting for him, there was a loud cheer that was both appreciation, and release of all that built up excitement.
"When you're a 12 year old kid dreaming about playing music, this is what you dream about."
Over the last few years, the country music world has watched Thomas Rhett grow from an emerging singer-songwriter to one of the most dynamic performers and game-changing artists in the genre. It's easy to tell you that when we saw him at Rock N Horse almost five years ago, we knew he'd be a star. Heck, we called at the time when we said, "this 24-year-old Georgia boy is all kinds of charming and has a stage presence that is going to take him to big places. Add in the songs and the voice and young Thomas looks like a star.". But we'd be lying if we told you we knew that he was going to be this kind of star.
With a show that's rooted in country, and bringing elements of pop, R&B, soul, and more, Rhett has created something that is his own. And it's HUGE.
For 19 songs in a straight, no breaks or encore, set, Thomas Rhett worked like hell to entertain the Toronto crowd that came to see him. He played all 13 of his US Country Airplay #1 singles, he threw in some new songs from his fourth album, Center Point Road, and he tossed in a little something extra from time-to-time to keep everyone on their toes.
In an unexpected move, Thomas Rhett (followed by members of the band) made his way through the crowd, up to the lawn, and played on a B Stage for the fans up top. It was a cool addition to the show, and without taking a break, gave the kind of change of pace that keeps a show from feeling the same from start to finish. When he was up there, Thomas looked up at the crowd and said, "When you're a 12 year old kid dreaming about playing music, this is what you dream about.". We can only imagine.
From one song to the next, the crowd was into the show. Fans sang as loud as they could. They cheered for the songs they were waiting for. They started their weekend on a Thursday night down by the lake. And they loved every minute of it.
And even when some of those newer songs came out, including (Rhett's next single) Remember You Young, they were still all in. We were too.
Thomas Rhett said all the right things to endear himself to the Toronto crowd on Thursday night. But it was something he did, towards the end of the set, that really made him pop for the locals. With just a couple of songs left in the set, the 29-year-old star put on a Vince Carter throwback jersey. And the Raptors fans, still riding high on that NBA Championship vibe, let him know how much they loved it.
We knew we were getting near the end of the show as the clock ticked toward 11pm. But that didn't dampen anyone's spirits as we got there. In a great way to go out, Thomas Rhett went with Unforgettable and T-Shirt back-to-back - and included a confetti blast that drew a big cheer and added a little something extra (like we mentioned earlier) to a night that had already given us a few.
Thomas Rhett proved to us twice before at Boots & Hearts ( 2015 // 2018) that he was a headline, main event, premiere entertainer. On Thursday night in Toronto, he did it again on the Very Hot Summer Tour.
Thomas Rhett Setlist, Very Hot Summer Tour 2019 Toronto☀️ Look What God Gave Her
☀️ Crash And Burn
☀️ Get Me Some Of That
☀️ Craving You
☀️ Sixteen
☀️ Notice
☀️ Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time
☀️ It Goes Like This
☀️ Remember You Young
☀️ Life Changes
☀️ That Old Truck*
☀️ Star Of The Show*
☀️ Round Here (with Homeboy)*
☀️ Make Me Wanna (with Suit & Tie)
☀️ Vacation
☀️ Marry Me
☀️ Die A Happy Man
☀️ Unforgettable
☀️ T-Shirt
*performed on B Stage, on the lawn at Budweiser Stage
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