Russell Dickerson • Whitney Lusk • April 4, 2025 • The Union Events Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Josilyn Wakkuri Lybbert
On April 4th, country music fans poured into the Union Event Center for Russell Dickerson’s sold-out Salt Lake City stop on his, “Russell Mania” Tour! People of all ages could be seen making their way in! The concertgoers were dressed in anything western-style glam, Russell merch, or completely casual.
Whitney Lusk
We were favored by a performance of one of Utah’s own to start off the night! Whitney Lusk was loved from the second she got on stage! She had contagious joy and a beautiful voice! Whitney shared that she got to play with Russell Dickerson the last time he was in town. It was one of the most fun shows they’d ever done! Whitney covered Jodi Messina’s “Bye-Bye,” which the fans loved! Then she sang her song, “All of my Girls,” which was dedicated to all of the impactful women in her life. When it was over, she said, “Now you all are my girls too!”
The next song was brand new – like had been released that same day – and was called, “He Don’t Let Me Know.” She said she wrote it about all the hard-working men and the women who love them. It was a very sweet-sounding song, and the crowd really enjoyed it! Whitney favored the audience with one more cover song, “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams! People love a classic like that one! Whitney put on a wonderful performance with her lovely music and fun covers!
In between sets, fans eager with anticipation passed the time by singing along to popular hits from all different charts, including, “Chattahoochee,” “It’s Tricky,” “Friends In Low Places,” “Toxic,” and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song – just to name a few!
RussellMania
The stage was set up with different tiers, which gave dimension for band members to play and for Russell Dickerson to walk around on! The top level was backed by something that resembled a wrestling ring. I had wondered how such a unique piece of decor landed itself at a country concert, but I’m clearly not well-versed on things pertaining to wrestling culture because a lot of things about the show made a lot more sense when I found out about “WrestleMania” after the show!
Fans chanted, “RD!” over and over again until the band took the stage and then fans were beside themselves when Russell joined them! He jumped over that wrestling ring and showed off his muscles like he was ready to grapple! Of course, he instead channeled that energy to an epic night of music and opened with, “Honey.” At the very least, I know for sure that the whole front barricade knew every single word, and from the sound of it, so did most of the venue!
Throughout the first few songs, I quite literally had a front row seat to how charismatic and interactive Russell Dickertson is! He exuded confidence, took time to share little moments with fans, and even took time to humor my camera lens. It’s very rare to have an artist do that while I’m photographing their performance, so that was an extra fun treat for me!
During the sweet tune about Russell’s wife, “God Gave Me A Girl,” couples throughout the room were holding onto each other or taking the opportunity for a slow dance. They also contributed to a beautiful sing-along, so much so that when the song was over, Russell asked if everyone could sing it again. He said, “I ain’t going to move on like you weren’t just singing like a choir of angels.” Everyone happily obliged!
Not only was Russell Dickerson’s stage set up unique, but his lighting display differed from song to song, too. The screen at the back of the stage also frequently changed to accommodate the theme of whatever was being sung. Just to share a few, “Bones” was backed by a beautiful starry sky visual, and during, “What A Life,” a slide show of Russell’s life starting from baby photos played. There was definitely a lot of work put into the stage displays in every aspect, and it showed!
The intro to “Happen To Me” really unleashed some audible and visible excitement throughout the whole venue as people screamed and started jumping up and down and dancing. “Oh, you know this one?” Russell joked and continued, “Okay, Salt Lake Litty!” Once the party of a song was over, he said, “What is happening? This song has only been out five or six weeks, and I’ve honestly been looking forward to playing it in Salt Lake.” I think it’s safe to say that the Salt Lake crowd lived up to his expectations for that one!
“Love You Like I Used To” was another hit with the crowd. It is another tender love song that Russell is so skillful at writing!
Prior to “Ride The Wave,” which is filled with references to summertime, Russell Dickerson said, “I think it snowed today, or it hailed or something. That shouldn’t be happening in April!” That made me laugh because that’s what I always think whenever we get winter weather in spring! The song was a nice step into warmer times – it’s wonderful how music can do that!
“She Likes It” got another eruption of enthusiasm from the crowd! It’s another fun, party-worthy track and fans treated it as such! Part way through the song, I told my husband that artist Jake Scott, who opened for all shows on this tour except Salt Lake’s, wrote the song with Russell. I knew that because Jake had sung it or mentioned it in shows I’d covered in the past. Not more than a few seconds after that conversation, Russell announced that he had a special guest, and I thought, “There’s no way!” People were thrilled as Jake Scott joined Russell for the remainder of the song! It was so much fun! Before leaving the stage, Jake announced that he’d be back in Salt Lake in July, which rendered a lot of joy throughout the venue because it’s well known that Utah loves Jake Scott and Jake Scott loves Utah!
A cameo by the way of video from wrestling star Hulk Hogan ushered in the next song, “It’s About Time.” After the video, Russell tossed a drink into the crowd and then even awarded a lucky fan with a special tour-themed wrestling belt! There was just one excitement after another, and people were dancing their hearts out with friends, partners, or even on their own to the hyped up tune!
Throughout the night, Russell Dickerson included some covers from various genres that he executed very well! Fans loved singing along to James Taylor’s “Carolina In My Mind,” “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston!
Leading up to his encore hit, “Yours,” Russell expressed immense gratitude for where his life has come since the initial release of the song, largely because of fans, how he shot the music video under simple circumstances with his wife, and how dreams can really come true! People sang along passionately to the moving ballad that put Russell on the charts! His voice was great throughout the night, but I could really feel the power and emotion of the sentiments he’d shared before the song as he sang, “Yours.”
“Blue Tacoma” brought the energy back up one more time as the last song of the night! I think part of that rush for the crowd was Russell Dickerson ripping off his tank top! Then it quite literally ended with a bang as confetti rained down over the crowd!
Russell Dickerson’s Salt Lake City stop on the “Russell Mania” tour was packed with energy, heart, and so many special moments! From Whitney Lusk’s fun and heartfelt set to Russell’s contagious charisma, surprise guest, and all the sing-alongs, it was a great night for those who filled the Union to the brim!