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Review: Hunter Hayes puts on electrifying show at The Paramount (Includes first-hand account)

Rising singer-songwriter Jillian Steele served as his opening act, who was able to warm up the stage for Hayes.

“Huntington. Let’s get crazy tonight,” he screamed, and kicked off his set with his refreshing single “I Want Crazy,” which featured some killer guitar riffs. “You sound so good,” he praised his New York audience. He immediately broke into his breakthrough radio single, “Storm Warning,” as he took his fans on a trip down memory lane.

Hayed showed off his vulnerability on “Tattoo,” which was soothing, as well as his impressive whistle register. He had the audience clapping along to the liberating and spitfire “Young Blood,” which earned him a raucous response.

“Wow,” he screamed, and subsequently premiered his new song, the mid-tempo “Somebody With You.” “Huntington, how are we doing?” he asked, prior to noting that he sees many familiar faces in the crowd. “You guys are crushing it. I appreciate that this place is filled up tonight,” the 25-year-old country musician said.

He gave a well-deserved shout-out to his opener Jillian Steele, and he accompanied himself on piano on the moving ballad, the Grammy-nominated “Invisible,” where The Paramount audience served as his harmony vocalists. “You sound beautiful,” he reiterated to his fans.

Equally fun was another new tune “Rescue,” where he nailed the electric guitar. The bluesy “Somebody’s Heartbreak” proved that his voice is smooth as silk. He accompanied himself on acoustic guitar on the mellow and laid-back “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me,” which was an ode to solitary life. The latter tune ended in a neat jam session with his band, and its displayed his wide range.

After a sip of water, Hayes expressed his gratitude to his fans for streaming his music, where he has accumulated over one billion streams on digital providers. He continued with the new song “Tell Me,” but this time, he refrained from playing any musical instruments; instead, he allowed his rich, powerful voice to do all the talking, where the end result was an expressive and heartfelt performance. The audience lit up the venue with their iPhone lights during this performance, as they enjoyed his whistle register, and rewarded him with a standing ovation.

It was followed with the inspirational and graceful “Amen,” where the fans were clapping their hands. He incorporated the next song “21,” as a crowd sing-along, and he covered Justin Timberlake’s smash single “Can’t Stop the Feeling” in a clever fashion, which was a great deal of fun, both for him and the audience. He was jumping along with the fans, as they witnessed his falsetto.

Another exceptional performance, if not the highlight of the night, was the uplifting “Better Than This,” which was this journalist’s personal favorite song in his set, especially from a melodical and lyrical standpoint, where the lyrics felt very relatable and full of positivity. He closed with “Yesterday’s Song” and with his signature song, the love ballad “Wanted,” where everybody was reciting the lyrics verbatim, as he showcased his controlled vocals.

The Verdict

Overall, Hunter Hayes put on an electrifying live performance at The Paramount in Huntington. At this Long Island concert, the Louisiana native showed tremendous growth and maturity as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He noted that his goal tonight for him and his band-mates were to make a connection with his audience, and it is safe to say that Hayes and his band surpassed that goal. Many new listeners were introduced to his music for the first time, and they instantly became fans, as they were in awe of his singing ability, as well as his prowess on multiple musical instruments. His prowess on electric guitar is unparalleled, and so is his love for his craft. Whoever has yet to see Hayes perform live is truly missing out. A ticket to his show should be on everybody’s bucket-list. His concert at The Paramount garnered an A+ rating. Congratulations Hunter.

To learn more about country star Hunter Hayes, his music and tour dates, check out his official website and Facebook page.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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