Sometimes events combine to give a fan one of the best nights ever and Cole Swindell's Down Home Tour was just that special. The opening acts for this years tour are Cole Taylor and Travis Dennning. Both are relatively new artists with some pretty stellar songwriting credits to their names.
This makes the third year for this tour and each year Swindell releases a Down Home Sessions EP to serve as a sort of soundtrack. When the tour was announced, I discovered not only was it coming to Oklahoma, but the opening stop was here in Tulsa on October 26th at my favorite concert venue, Cain's Ballroom. Swindell was one of the three remaining artists on my 'See Before I Can't See' list and finally getting to see Cole Taylor live was an amazing bonus. You can read his Artist 411 article here. Needless to say things were aligning to be a great concert and I had yet to hear Travis Denning's music before.
Cole Taylor was the first artist to take the stage and I was not disappointed. Sometimes opening acts have not fully developed their craft for live shows, but that was not the case with Taylor. He played several songs from both his self titled EP and his Step 2 EP including "Drop Top" and "Part Of This Town." He also played his newest single "Cold Beer." A wonderfully written, opposites attract song that I highly recommend. After a small intermission, Travis Denning took the stage and he sounded incredible. We got to to hear several of his songs including "Here's To The Home Town" and "Southern Rock." Not to mention some of his awesome songwriting credits like "Everybody We Know Does." The latest single by Chase Rice. On top of having incredible sets, both Cole Taylor and Travis Denning came out to the merch table to meet their fans. You can listen to Cole Taylor's music on Spotify and Travis Denning's on the Reverbnation Discover app.
When Cole Swindell, the 2016 NSAI Songwriter of the Year, took the stage, the energy level was incredible. He has to be one of the most humble and sweet artists I have ever come across and had the pleasure of meeting. I swear his entire time on stage he never stopped smiling! Swindell told the crowd he loves the Down Home Tour. Because it is when he gets to reconnect and give back to the fans that helped him get to where he is today. Swindell's set list was absolutely AMAZING. The songs ranged from the one that started it all, "Chillin It," to the heartwarming tribute pinned about his father, number one hit, "You Should Be Here" to Down Home Sessions 3 songs "You've Got My Number" and "Chevrolet DJ." In fact, we were treated to all Swindell's singles including a favorite of mine "Let me See Ya Girl" and his newest one "Middle Of A Memory." After the Down Home Tour raps up Cole Swindell will be hitting the road with none other than Dierks Bentley. He told us about the pending tour before he sang "Flatliner." A song he sang with Bentley on his You Should Be Here album.
The amount of love and respect Swindell showed his opening acts was like nothing I have ever seen before. He told the crowd to remember their names. Because they were going places in the music industry. At different times, Swindell brought both artists back on stage with him. Cole Taylor performed "Stay Down Town" with him. One of Taylor's songwriting credits from Swindell's album You Should Be Here. When Travis Denning came back out, Swindell let him perform one of his songwriting credits for the crowd. A song several people around me were pleasantly surprised to hear. I heard,"Wait, he wrote this?" several times as he started playing "All Outta Beer." A song recently cut by Jason Aldean. Every artist in the Down Home Tour lineup is proof keeping up with songwriters is definitely a great idea.
Sometimes a photo truly is worth a thousand words. This one in particular shows just how appreciative Cole Swindell is of his musical journey and the fans that got him there. A journey that he is now actively using to help newer artists. To me, Cole Swindell is one of those artists you can't help, but respect. The third anniversary of the Down Home Tour certainly started out with an incredible bang and is packed full of some extremely talented Georgia natives. I highly recommend picking up tickets if you get the chance.
This makes the third year for this tour and each year Swindell releases a Down Home Sessions EP to serve as a sort of soundtrack. When the tour was announced, I discovered not only was it coming to Oklahoma, but the opening stop was here in Tulsa on October 26th at my favorite concert venue, Cain's Ballroom. Swindell was one of the three remaining artists on my 'See Before I Can't See' list and finally getting to see Cole Taylor live was an amazing bonus. You can read his Artist 411 article here. Needless to say things were aligning to be a great concert and I had yet to hear Travis Denning's music before.
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| Cole Taylor - Cain's Ballroom |
Cole Taylor was the first artist to take the stage and I was not disappointed. Sometimes opening acts have not fully developed their craft for live shows, but that was not the case with Taylor. He played several songs from both his self titled EP and his Step 2 EP including "Drop Top" and "Part Of This Town." He also played his newest single "Cold Beer." A wonderfully written, opposites attract song that I highly recommend. After a small intermission, Travis Denning took the stage and he sounded incredible. We got to to hear several of his songs including "Here's To The Home Town" and "Southern Rock." Not to mention some of his awesome songwriting credits like "Everybody We Know Does." The latest single by Chase Rice. On top of having incredible sets, both Cole Taylor and Travis Denning came out to the merch table to meet their fans. You can listen to Cole Taylor's music on Spotify and Travis Denning's on the Reverbnation Discover app.
 |
| Travis Denning - Cain's Ballroom |
When Cole Swindell, the 2016 NSAI Songwriter of the Year, took the stage, the energy level was incredible. He has to be one of the most humble and sweet artists I have ever come across and had the pleasure of meeting. I swear his entire time on stage he never stopped smiling! Swindell told the crowd he loves the Down Home Tour. Because it is when he gets to reconnect and give back to the fans that helped him get to where he is today. Swindell's set list was absolutely AMAZING. The songs ranged from the one that started it all, "Chillin It," to the heartwarming tribute pinned about his father, number one hit, "You Should Be Here" to Down Home Sessions 3 songs "You've Got My Number" and "Chevrolet DJ." In fact, we were treated to all Swindell's singles including a favorite of mine "Let me See Ya Girl" and his newest one "Middle Of A Memory." After the Down Home Tour raps up Cole Swindell will be hitting the road with none other than Dierks Bentley. He told us about the pending tour before he sang "Flatliner." A song he sang with Bentley on his You Should Be Here album.
 |
| Cole Swindell - Cain's Ballroom |
The amount of love and respect Swindell showed his opening acts was like nothing I have ever seen before. He told the crowd to remember their names. Because they were going places in the music industry. At different times, Swindell brought both artists back on stage with him. Cole Taylor performed "Stay Down Town" with him. One of Taylor's songwriting credits from Swindell's album You Should Be Here. When Travis Denning came back out, Swindell let him perform one of his songwriting credits for the crowd. A song several people around me were pleasantly surprised to hear. I heard,"Wait, he wrote this?" several times as he started playing "All Outta Beer." A song recently cut by Jason Aldean. Every artist in the Down Home Tour lineup is proof keeping up with songwriters is definitely a great idea.
