Nichols opened his set with “Freaks Like Me,” and he interacted well with the crowd, as yellow lights dimmed from the stage. “To my man, Markos, Happy Birthday,” he said, dedicating his second song “Hard To Be Cool” to this journalist’s birthday celebration, and had the audience clapping along with him on its infectious chorus.
It was followed by the hilarious tune “What’s a Guy Gotta Do,” which was a great deal of fun. He continued with a newer tune “Something Like You,” and he went on to share his appreciation for his fans for coming out tonight. “Take It Off” showed his sassy and seductive side.
After a sip of Poland Spring water, he delivered a neat acoustic set by paying tribute to the country singer-songwriters that paved the way for him including the late Merle Haggard (“Okie from Muskogee”), who was his biggest musical influence growing up.
Equally witty was his country version of “Baby Got Back (I Like Big Butts),” which resonated well with his Long Island audience. It was followed by newer songs such as “Tall Boys” and his sultry yet seductive single “Undone.”
Orange lights graced the stage during “The Shape I’m In,” and he took the crowd on a trip down memory lane with his No. 1 hit “Brokenheartsville” and equally impressive was the follow-up single “Yeah,” where everybody in the crowd was reciting “YEAH!” back to him. “How loud can you get New York?” he asked.
He tipped his hat to Tom Petty with his solid cover of “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” and he closed with the fan-favorite song “Gimmie That Girl.” Nichols returned for his encore which included the uplifting “Sunny and 75” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” where he paraphrased one of the lyrics to “George Strait record on.”
The Verdict
Overall, Joe Nichols put on another fantastic concert at Mulcahy’s. He knows how to entertain and he keeps his music real and authentic. He is one of the best male live country performers out there. His live show at Mulcahy’s garnered five out of five stars.
