I just knew this was going to be a contender for show of the year. It’s certainly equal to Treaty Oak Revival from earlier this year. This show had it all. Explosives, tear-dropping ballads, fireworks, and Bailey Zimmerman swinging from rope swings. The theatrics alone are worth the price of a ticket.
SPOILER ALERT: You must, without a doubt, grab tickets to Bailey Zimmerman’s Different Night Same Rodeo Tour. Not only you get to see Bailey, but you are also viewing two great support acts. Blake Whiten and Hudson Westbrook are two up-and-comers in country music. Not to mention, I found myself at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut Thursday night following Treaty Oak's Revival show. As of late, Thursdays have been killer for mind-blowing country concerts. I absolutely love going to Mohegan Sun Arena for shows.
Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the most low-key elite concert spots in New England. It seems like it is always forgotten about or brushed off as a music venue. It opened in 2001 inside the Mohegan Sun casino complex, and it holds about 10,000 people, which is perfect because it’s big enough for major artists and you still feel how intimate it is. Also, I have been to this arena over 15 times and there isn’t a bad seat in that building. However, I prefer going here over TD Garden, which will often have the same musical acts on tour. It was actually one of the first big pro venues owned by a Native American tribe, which is pretty unique!
This place hosts everyone, and I mean everyone: Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, and Pitbull. The list goes on, but I've made myself pretty clear. If an artist can sell out arenas, they’ve probably been here. I’ll give you a teaser: Metallica is scheduled for two nights in November here. If you can see a show at Mohegan Sun Arena or the Wolf Den, you really should. There is plenty of parking, food options, and great shopping if that is your thing!
I can’t express to you how pumped I was for this show! To kick off the night, we had the amazing Blake Whiten. This artist’s voice is probably the most distinctive in all of country music. That is my opinion, at least. Whenever I hear a song come on by Blake, I immediately know it’s him without ever hearing the song before. Considering he is extremely new to the country scene, he's blowing up fast. I still am in shock of this lineup. It’s insane that he is this new to music and is already hitting massive stages with top-tier country talent. Right off the bat, this tells you all you need to know. Blake is here to stay.
His big early moment happened to be his choice in covering some Morgan Wallen songs, which started getting serious traction on TikTok and YouTube. That buzz turned into people actually wanting his music instead of just covers. What a feeling that must be, to have people wanting to hear YOUR music. That’s when you know you have something special. He made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 2026. If you know country music, the Opry is the church of country music.
Blake came out and he was everything I hoped he would be. A young kid with a unique and powerful voice. I figured he would come out and just play us an acoustic set, as that happens often with singer-songwriters on bigger tours. We were in for the full treat. We got full-band Blake Whiten. I think that was the proper choice for such a high-energy tour. I found a clip on TikTok of Bailey hyping up Blake Whiten and how they’ve become friends. Two years later, he brought his friend along. He was flawless. I mean absolutely perfect. What an absolute pleasure to see him at this stage in his career. I cannot wait for his own headline tour at a smaller venue so I can see him again. You need to check him out as well. I am so happy that I got to hear Blake play “Rollin’ Stone” and “Break Me.”
Blake was even brave enough to cover “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. How brave is that? That voice, I tell ya!
If you thought it couldn’t even get better for support acts, you’re out of your mind. Hudson freaking Westbrook. How did Bailey pull off this heavy-hitting lineup? These guys should all be on their own tours. Hudson has established himself already with a couple hits. The Texas native is the opposite of Blake Whiten; he has the typical perfect type of voice with that Texas twang. He was on the path of being an oilman out of high school. I can’t imagine not having him in country music. Hudson is a staple in my rotation. It was time.
The people were ready, and his setlist was perfect. Closing out his set with “House Again,” which he explained was about his parents’ divorce. The song is a perfect ballad and a tearjerker, and yes…people were crying. I did not expect that.
I have seen that with the headliner, such as Cameron Whitcomb the other day in Boston, but usually the openers are the times when people get their beers. Not the case. Everyone was locked in.
This show was as if all three acts were headliners on their own. Hudson gave us 9 perfected songs, including a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong to Me.” That obviously got the crowd into singing even more loudly than they already were to songs such as “Sober” and “Painted You Pretty.”
As I mentioned, we didn’t get enough of Blake nor Hudson. These two acts deserve their own headlining shows with longer playing time. That time will come. You will see them continue to rise. I feel I have a great grasp on the pulse of country music. These two are the real deal. Jump on the bandwagon now, even though it has already been getting full. Hopefully next year I am covering their own shows. They are coming, and they are coming in hot!
Bailey Zimmerman. Where do I start with this guy? He is probably the most explosive, energy-packed human in the industry. He refuses to sit still. I have been lucky enough to know a few people who are close to him, and all I hear are wonderful things. I mean literally everything is positive. I have been trying to get to see Bailey for about three years. It never worked out. But last night, the stars aligned and here I was. Bailey went from TikTok underdog story to bringing on the stadiums. That is his next step. I am completely convinced. Bailey has been in the game for 5 years and is already playing sold-out arenas. That is impressive. Bailey is from Plymouth, Wisconsin, a small town that’s about as Midwest as it gets. Far from the neon lights of Nashville. He grew up playing music in his bedroom and posting covers online. It was simple. Acoustic guitar, rough vocals, very raw, but you could tell the emotion was real and he was authentic. Like Blake, Bailey has his own raspy voice that just has him coming off as pure, raw, and authentic. He didn’t come from a big music family or have fancy Nashville connections. He was all hustle, grind, and social media buzz.
Bailey’s big breakout was in 2021 with “Fall in Love” off his debut EP Leave the Light On. After that, it was a massive blow-up, and you had fans camping out at venues. I do not want to say his fame came instantly, but he did have a fast rise to stardom. He has that stadium rock energy about him, and that is where he is headed. He is one of the faces of country music. He could be the next Morgan Wallen.
Right from the beginning, you were out of your seat. Literally, you most likely were already standing when the lights went off. The band came out first, backlit with lighting behind a large backdrop. The backdrop fell, and it was on. Flames bursting from all over, an announcer over the speakers hyping the crowd as if we were at a WWE event. Then boom. Explosions, and out flies Bailey from underneath the stage. What an entrance, but wait, there’s more. Now, with fireworks blasting off, he swung off the top of the stage down to ground level while starting a banger of a song featuring Luke Combs, “Backup Plan.” Like WHAT!?!?
That’s how to start a concert. It had it all. His stage was one of the most elaborate setups I have seen, especially for a country show. Along with all the explosions, they had lights everywhere with a massive screen behind all the risers. With all that was going on, you were not sitting the rest of the show, and how could you? Speaking of “Backup Plan,” there were no other plans to be had tonight than to be in that arena. We were so lucky to have been able to witness this show with only 10,000 people compared to his other local show of 20,000 at TD Garden in Boston. This was worth the month’s wait for this more intimate experience.
Bailey was very raw in the best of ways. You aren’t going to a Bailey show for Mariah Carey vocals. You go to a Bailey show for high energy, authenticity, and rawness. Bailey was on point all night. He came ready, and he never stopped. That man gave all his energy and left nothing on the table. You got what you paid for and more. Bailey never runs out of energy. He was non-stop for over an hour and a half. His energetic demeanor was contagious. As a matter of fact, I am tired now the next day thinking about it. He delivered hit after hit, including probably my favorite song by him, “Ashes.” This setlist was relentless. You had no time to chill out. I don’t even know how anyone left their seat to go get a beer or snack. No one wanted to miss the greatness we were experiencing. If you did leave, you missed something good. That was inevitable.
I really can’t express enough how good this show was. It will be the show of the year, for sure. He worked the crowd constantly. He made you feel like you were a part of the show. All night, Bailey praised the crowd for being there and spending their money and supporting him. He was very gracious to the audience, and that really stood out to me. I loved how he touched on ADHD and how it affects him. Just another little tidbit of his open personality adding to an already perfect show.
Everyone in attendance must have left with a smile on their face. How could you not? We had fire and explosions all night. The show was chaos, and we all loved it. The crowd was your typical mix, but most notably dominated by a younger generation. This was the loudest crowd I’ve experienced this year. The girls were screaming their brains out. I am talking screaming. It was loud. The explosions were loud, the crowd was loud, and the music was loud. That’s concert perfection. I saw so many happy smiles on everyone’s faces leaving that building. Bailey, that was a job well done.
I honestly have to say I feel bad for country music fans that weren’t there. I truly do feel sad. They missed out. The show and production were perfect. This was a show that cannot be missed. Please do not make the mistake of not going to this show. You will regret it seeing it all over social media. The FOMO is real. Do not fall into a depression missing it. You will always wonder if it was worth it, and yes, it’s totally worth it. Three perfectly chosen acts, a theatrical show, and music played by top-notch musicians. We made the right one famous. BUY. THE. TICKET.
