A Warner Music Nashville recording artist, Swindell opened his set with the upbeat and fun “Down Home Boys,” as the stage was graced in yellow and white lights. “New York City, what’s up?” Swindell asked. “I love my down home boys, but where are my down home girls in the house?”
He shared that he is originally from Georgia, but he loves New York City, and he had two words for the audience, “Hey Ya’ll,” prior to breaking into the tune of that name. Swindell noted that he has been waiting for this album release night for a long time. “It’s good to be back,” he admitted, and went on to sing the party anthem”Brought to You by Beer.”
“How’s everybody doing?” he asked, prior to adding “Who’s up tonight?” He debuted his new album cut “Up,” which was well-received. “We’re all a bunch of country music fans here,” Swindell said.
He continued with his smash single “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” where he incorporated the last chorus as a crowd sing-along. He shared his excitement to be able to perform new music, and introduced his brand new single, the gorgeous ballad “Middle of a Memory,” where the stage featured a blue backdrop. “We’re in the middle of a memory here tonight,” Swindell acknowledged.
Swindell gave his fans an overview of his career in music, and how he started off selling merchandise for Luke Bryan, and he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to do some songwriting. He revealed that his first No. 1 song as a songwriter was for “Get Me Some Of That,” which became a hit for his buddy Thomas Rhett, and Swindell delivered his version of the tune. “I’m glad you knew that one,” he said, prior to mentioning that he is going out on tour this summer with country duo Florida Georgia Line.
Speaking of Florida Georgia Line, Swindell wrote “This Is How We Roll” with Luke Bryan and Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley from the duo. He was gracious enough to subsequently sing his rendition of the upbeat tune.
He took his fans on a trip down memory lane to his first chart-topping single and breakthrough hit “Chillin’ It.” “Let’s get laid back and lazy,” Swindell shouted. He noted that during his college days he grew up on 90s country and paid tribute to two artists that he looked up to, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, by performing “Real Good Man” and “Don’t Happen Twice” respectively.
“I fall in love every time I step on this stage, no matter where it is,” Swindell said, prior to performing the moving ballad “Broke Down.” It was followed by the lovey dovey portion of the show, where he asked his audience members to hold the person they came with tonight close to them, as he sang “Stars,” which is one of his favorite songs on the album. “You are the stars,” Swindell said, praising the crowd for coming out and seeing him tonight.
He picked up the pace with the infectious “Let Me See Ya Girl” and he had his fans waving their hands up in the air. “I wanna see ya’ll having some fun,” he said, prior to noting that it was an “unbelievable experience” for Swindell to secure a fourth No. 1 single on his debut album with “Let Me See Ya Girl.”
After a sip of water, Swindell sang his new song, the spitfire “Flatliner” and he was able to tug at the heartstrings with his melancholic ballad “You Should Be Here,” where everybody’s iPhones were lit up to help capture the sentimental essence of that live vocal.
It was followed by “Hoppin’,” “No Can Left Behind,” as well as “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” and a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Drink You Away.”
The Verdict
Overall, Cole Swindell’s performance at Gramercy Theatre was absolutely spectacular. He interacted well with the crowd and had them with him every step of the way. He was able to bring the songs from his new album to life, and they all struck a chord with his New York fan-base. He showcased a warm and gracious personality, and he sang with a great deal of heart. Swindell is worth seeing live whenever he is in town. His album release concert at Gramercy Theatre earned 5 out of 5 stars. Congratulations.
