“What’s going on?” asked radio personality Shila from NASH FM 94.7. “Are you guys ready New York City to see Kane Brown?”
The Georgia native began his set with “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” as the stage was graced in blue laser lights. “Are you guys ready to have a good time tonight?” Brown asked.
He noted that this was his second time in New York, after opening for Florida Georgia Line on their “Dig Your Roots” tour, and he paid homage to George Strait with a cover of “Check Yes or No,” where he had the crowd singing along. He showed us his R&B side by covering R. Kelly’s “Ignition” and he treated his fans to “Last Minute Late Night,” which he described as his second number one song on iTunes. “This is awesome,” he said, and inquired if everybody was having a good time. The answer to his question was a resounding “yes.”
“Pull it Off” was a sassy and spitfire performance, and he tackled small town life in “Wide Open,” where he asked the audience to help him out on the latter tune, as blue and green lights dimmed from the stage. He shared that he is from a small town in Georgia, where he would hang out with his friends at a Wal-Mart parking lot.
He encouraged the crowd to dance along to “Dead End,” which had a neat groove to it, and he went on to introduce his talented five-piece band. He inquired if there were any Craig Morgan fans in the house, and covered his bittersweet tune “Almost Home,” as he sat on a stool, accompanied by an acoustic guitar player. “Thank you for coming out tonight,” he said, graciously, and continued with a solo cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” where his guitar player switched over to electric guitar. At that moment, everybody’s iPhones went up to capture his impressive rendition that did The Biebs justice.
Brown revealed that he and country crooner Chris Young co-wrote “Settin’ The Night On Fire” together, and delivered his own version of the song. He tipped his hat to 3 Doors Down by singing their smash hit “Kryptonite” as green lights dimmed from the stage; moreover, he took crowd selfies with his fans’ iPhones during this performance, which resonated well with his New York fan-base.
In “Don’t Go City On Me,” which was the first song he ever wrote, he expressed his love for his country roots. “That was fun. I always wanted to be a rocker,” he admitted, prior to covering old school Blake Shelton with “Ol’ Red,” as red lights eloquently displayed from the stage for this fitting tune.
He dubbed “Thunder in the Rain” as his next single for radio, and he had the audience waving their hands up in the air. After this song, he had the surprise of his life, being presented with a gold plaque from his record label for the success of “Used to Love You Sober,” and after the excitement, Brown went on to sing his gold-selling single, which garnered him a standing ovation.
The Verdict
Overall, Kane Brown was spectacular for his first headlining show at Gramercy Theatre in New York. He proved to be a gifted singer, songwriter and performer. He excelled on his original songs and the ones he covered from other singers, thus showcasing his versatility as a recording artist. It is safe to say that this country singer’s future is bright and promising. His Gramercy Theatre show garnered an A rating.
To learn more about Kane Brown and his music, check out his official homepage.
