Cody Johnson • Wade Bowen • June28, 2025 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Country Music singer, Cody Johnson, brought his “Leather Deluxe Tour” to Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday, Jun 28, 2025. He brought Wade Bowen and Mae Estes along with him. The last time we covered CoJo was back in February 2020, just weeks before the world shut down due to the pandemic. He was opening for Country Music superstar Miranda Lambert at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City. I remember enjoying his energetic performance. He set the bar high for Miranda, and it made for a great night of Country Music.
There’s something so cool about seeing a musician along the journey of their career go from supporting other artists on their tours to headlining their own tour. I was happy for Cody Johnson that his career has gone the way it’s gone. He not only brought his headlining tour to one of Utah’s largest concert venues, but he sold the place out! I’ve said this before, and I’ll most likely say it every time I attend a Country concert, but there is nothing like the vibe at this type of show. People were in great spirits. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. And this was in between sets! I’m sure you can imagine what it was like when the music was actually being played. I was happy to be at Utah First Amp for this show.
Wade Bowen
I got inside Utah First Amp just in time to see Wade Bowen take the stage. I was unfamiliar with Wade, but I enjoyed his set. He seemed to be having a great time despite the sun setting in his face while he performed. Songs like “When Love Comes to Town” and “Everything Has Your Memory” delighted audiences. Many songs were such that fans were doing a western swing along with the music. It was nice to see so many artists enjoying the music. I went up along the general admission lawn and saw people singing to the music as they sat on their blankets and took selfies.
I think the highlight of Wade Bowen’s set was his performance of “Saturday Night”. It has to be such a good feeling to see people celebrating your music along with you. It was a great set. Just like the stage was set for Miranda Lambert, Wade set the stage for Cody. Speaking of Cody, he made an appearance during Bowen’s set. You don’t always see headliners come out before their set, but it’s exciting when they do. I’ve seen Dave Grohl do that before Foo Fighters took the stage, and I saw Brandi Carlile do that with The Indigo Girls before her set. It’s a huge treat for the audience.
Cody Johnson
The stage was ready, and the sun had set. The lawn was packed, and so was the general admission pit by the stage. Not to mention all the other seats in between. Cody Johnson appeared at the top of the stage with his logo behind him on the big screen. The audience was going nuts. He opened his set with “That’s Texas”. During the song, he revealed his Texas tattoo over his heart to the crowd. Behind him, on the digital screen, appeared a “Greeting From Texas” sign. CoJo transformed us to Texas. I felt like we were at a huge state fair watching one of the big shows. Cowboy hats were everywhere in my sightline. Johnson’s energy was, as I remembered, only that much more electrifying with him as the headliner.
Cody Johnson told us, “I hope you came to this show tonight with great expectations. Because I took the stage tonight with great expectations about you. There’s lots of places you can be this evening besides being here, spending your hard-earned dollar, and proving that you’re the reason Country Music is alive and well in the United States of America and across the world. I’m going to ask a little bit more outta you than most concerts that you go to tonight. I’m going to ask you to give me everything you’ve got. Because if you give me everything you’ve got, I’m going to give you everything I have right up here on this stage.” As I’m sure you could imagine, the audience showed that they were ready to give him all that they had.
He gave credit to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “You guys have not idea how many times I have tried to screw this thing up. And each time, God has shown me grace, he’s shown me forgiveness, and he’s said, ‘Hey, stupid, just go play the shows like I told you to and say my name. And everything is going to be ok.’ He then played “Dear Rodeo” and the place went completely nuts! As many of you know, Cody was a bull fighter before he broke into Country Music. This song seems to have a personal touch every time he performs it.
Utah First Amp lit up literally when Cody Johnson performed “Nothing On You”. The entire audience turned on their cell phone lights and swayed them in the air. I was impressed with how engaged everyone was. There was so much excitement and focus on the show. Sometimes the music can just be there for people to socialize and party. But that was not the case during a Cody Johnson show. Don’t get me wrong, people were for sure partying. But they were doing it while they were singing their hearts out to this music.
Cody brought Carrie Underwood onto the big screen. Can you imagine what would have happened if she were actually there? This place would have gone insane! He performed their duet, “I’m Gonna Love You”. I was impressed with the production of this song. The mix was perfect and they blended so well together. One singing live, and one of course on a track. That’s not easy to do. But it was pulled off really well.
The biggest highlight of the show for me was when CoJo brought the show to a special level. A familiar melody began to play. Cody’s logo shifted to a more patriotic look. He had the amphitheater lights turned on so he could see the audience. Then he asked if there were any police officers, sheriff’s department, border patrol, or law enforcement in the audience.
He had them raise their hands. He asked the same for firefighters, first responders, and nurses. Anyone who has served in the military he asked the same. So many people had their hands up. Johnson then said, “If you don’t have your hand in the air, I want you to do me a favor. If you’re sitting down, I want you to stand up. I want you to turn around and look at these men and women with their hands in the air, and I want you to let them know what it means to be free in the United States of America tonight because of their service.” The audience roared. I high-fived the people around me who had their hands up. Cody then asked the men to remove their hats. He then performed “God Bless America”. I loved it. It was a beautiful moment.
The night flew by. Songs like “Dirt Cheap”, “The Painter”, and “‘Til You Can’t” had the audience caught up in the moment. I noticed this couple in front of me singing every word to each one of these songs to each other. This must have been a dream concert for them. To see what is clearly one of their favorite musicians together had to be such a blast.
Cody Johnson has come into his own as a superstar in Country Music. His style is not easy to define. He’s not Top 40 Country, he’s not totally Outlaw, he’s just him. And it’s very obvious that people love it. Sold-out show after sold-out show is a pretty good indicator. I have no doubt that he’ll be back in Utah. And I’m sure he’ll be selling out this town for years to come.