Kane Brown • Tyler Hubbard • May 17, 2024 • Delta Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Country Music superstar, Kane Brown brought his In The Air Tour to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on May 17. He was joined by superstar in his own right, half of Florida Georgia Line, Tyler Hubbard and up and comers Parmalee. Kane Brown has quickly become one of the best entertainers in country music. His concerts never disappoint and this tour stop was no exception
Tyler Hubbard
I didn’t know what to expect with Tyler Hubbard. He’s played sold-out shows with his band Florida Georgia Line. I had never seen them live, but I heard that they put on an entertaining show. I felt an extra sense of intrigue in seeing Hubbard because we were fresh off the heels of an interview with him and then a counter-interview with his former Florida Georgia Line partner regarding their split. So having seen those, it felt very in the moment to be seeing him live and in person.
It was clear the moment Tyler Hubbard took the stage that the Salt Lake City crowd loved him. They were so excited to see him. Most of his set was evenly split between his self-titled 2023 debut album and his recently released album Strong. These songs all seemed to be well received. However, the high points of Hubbard’s set would have to be when Tyler covered a song he had written for Jason Aldean. The audience loved his version of “You Make It Easy”. I love hearing songs performed by the writer. It’s interesting to hear how they intended the song to be. And it was no surprise that the audience was on their feet and singing along to the Florida Georgia Line hit, “Cruise”. I’d say Tyler Hubbard has a solid solo career ahead of him. He was perfect for this night. The crowd was ready for Kane Brown.
Kane Brown
The last time Kane Brown played in Salt Lake City he entered the stage by repelling from high above the stage. So when the lights went out, I knew that I needed to be ready for him to enter from anywhere in the arena. The opening song, “Bury Me In Georgia” began and the crowd went wild. I couldn’t find Kane anywhere. The light rig from above the stage started to lower. But I still couldn’t see him. Finally, a Delta Center employee pointed out to me that Kane was even higher than I was looking. He was above the light rig and was lowering to where everyone could finally see him. People were going crazy at the sight of him.
He performed “Bury Me In Georgia” and “One Right Thing” from the lowering platform, walking from one end to another. He reached out to fans and pointed to people in the upper bowl. Who at this stage had some of the best seats in the arena. Kane Brown sure knows how to make an entrance. The audience was buzzing in between songs. People love stuff like that and I was part of that. What a cool way to begin a show. Kane never slowed down. He was up and down the catwalk, from one side of the stage to the other. There wasn’t a spot in the venue that he didn’t cover. I was exhausted just watching him. It was fun to sing along with the crowd a snippet of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” during “In The Air”.
About midway through the show, Kane Brown made his way to the other side of the arena floor to a B stage. Brown told us that he had only arrived in Utah a few hours before the concert. He had performed the night before at the ACM Awards. He mentioned how nervous he was. How intimidating it was to see all the other Country Music artists seated in front of the stage. But everyone told him he killed it, and he hoped he’d kill it this night performing for the Delta Center crowd. He then performed a cover of “Georgia” a song best attached to the great Ray Charles. I’m happy to report that he did kill it.
A couple of big highlights for me were when Kane welcomed back Tyler Hubbard and Parmalee onto the stage to perform a cover of Chris Young’s “Famous Friends”. The crowd was electric and it felt like a huge party inside the Delta Center. The artists looked like they were having a blast and everywhere I looked in the arena people were smiling and singing as loud as they could. It was a really fun moment. The other moment that was just so fun was when Kane brought a young girl named Gentry onto the stage. She walked with him down the catwalk and sang and danced with him. Her smile was so big. I can only imagine what that experience was like for her. She seemed to take in the moment and totally get into it.
The concert flew by and before we knew it, Kane Brown was finishing up “Like I Love Country Music” and walking off the stage for the final time. There was a collective sigh of disappointment that the show was over, but everyone seemed to take a minute to bask in the moment, take a deep breath, and make their way to the car as they talked about how amazing their night was. Kane Brown can come back to Utah anytime. People sure do love him here.
