Are you still sitting in the “Buy Now” ticket queue pondering life decisions about if you should go to Riley Green’s “Damn Country Music Tour” concert near you? Let me help you…pull the trigger, now. Click that mouse as fast as an old-western gun-slinger and secure those tickets. It’s a show not to be missed. It’s pure country all night. From the opening act to the legend himself.
I spent my Friday night posted up once again at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts where last month I covered James Blunt. MGM Music Hall at Fenway is honestly kind of surreal. It’s in the heart of Boston on Lansdowne Street connected to the iconic Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. The Music Hall opened in August 2022 and immediately started turning heads with the top-notch talent it brought in. If you read my last review, it is one of my favorite venues to experience a show.
I have seen over a dozen shows here. The venue sells out at around 5,700 and last night it was filled to the max. This was a flaming hot-ticket in the city. I had many friends discussing this show and the whole supporting cast. Everyone wanted to be here. I am not exaggerating. I am thinking this show could have been at the Agganis Arena at the very least, perhaps even TD Garden. Call me naive but country music is huge in this region and we have Riley Green, a power house, Ella Langley, who is hot as lava right now, and of course Vincent Mason, a young up-and-comer that is making waves around the industry. I am telling you they needed more seats to satisfy the hunger from Boston country music fans.
Let’s have a quick rundown of Riley Green’s rise in country music that led us to this moment at MGM. Riley was born in Jacksonville, Alabama in 1988. Thanks to his grandfather, who owned Golden Saw Music Hall, Riley had no choice but to be indoctrinated with country music. It was in his DNA before he even knew what music was. It was his destiny. In 2013, Riley Green released his self-titled debut EP. He would go on to release EPs in 2015, 2016, and 2017 before signing to Big Machine Label Group. Riley was framing houses while working on his musical career. Then his break came around 2018 with his hit “There Was This Girl.” Riley would go on to have 20 country hits on the award charts at Billboard. In 2019, The Academy of Country Music presented Green with the New Male Artist of the Year Award for that year. Riley has gone on to release 3 studio albums. Different ‘Round Here, Ain’t My Last Rodeo, and his newest full album release, Don’t Mind If I Do. Oh, I didn’t even mention he was a QB for the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks.
Vincent Mason jumped on to the stage to cheers that seemed like he was a headliner. Mason is a newcomer to the country music world and someone I have been recently obsessed with. His breakout came in 2024 with his “Hell is a Dance Floor” single. I absolutely love his voice and couldn’t wait for him to hit the stage. I wasn’t disappointed. He absolutely destroyed his whole set. His soft vulnerable voice shined through the music and was soothing to the soul. The passion he sings with makes you wonder who hurt this kid? Mason is going places and I am all for it! It is going to be awesome for the next decade watching him grow as an artist and a human. He is only going to get better and it’s all uphill from here.
I can’t say enough good things about Ella Langley. Her voice is truly that of an angel. This was my second time seeing her live and she again didn’t let anyone in the audience down. She absolutely is a perfect example of a country music star. I am excited to see her career taking off.
Her performance was next level. It’s certainly obvious why all these national acts continue to take her on tour with them. Her voice is powerful and commanding. It’s just damn good. Her records are tremendous and she is consistently strong throughout her live sets. She definitely set the tone of the whole night and had everyone ready for Riley Green to take the reins over and close out the show. She is as authentic as it gets and truly a gem to this genre of music. This wouldn’t be the last time we saw her for the night. Tonight she proved why she is a powerhouse in the genre.
This was my second time seeing Riley Green live but the first show as a headliner. I saw him in the summer of 2022 when he was the support for Luke Bryan. I was really looking forward to seeing his growth as an artist. I remember him being totally awesome and on point at that show, according to my excel sheet I keep on every concert I have attended. I expected the same level of mastery at this show. I was not disappointed. You will also not be disappointed. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
The stage was nothing crazy spectacular, which mostly is the case for this venue. Riley had two sets of stairs creating a sort of two layer platform. He ended up coming onto the stage opening up the show from there, towering over his crowd. I will say the lighting at this show was spectacular. A massive screen adorned the back of the stage showing graphics all night. But, the lighting is definitely something that was highly noticed. I love when the lighting is bright and alive. This creates a nice atmosphere and removes the mystery of an artist. It’s nice for fans to be able to see the faces of the artists. Riley also utilized a catwalk that created a T-formation with the stage into the crowd for a closer approach. Riley also had a bar as part of his stage production which would pour drinks for band members. Notably called “Riley Green’s Duck Blind”.
I didn’t know what to really expect from the crowd. For some reason in my head, he carried an older crowd like a Jackson Dean. I was wrong. Many young fans were out. I would say the majority were college aged or younger. I always like chatting with fans outside the venue that are in line. I met a group that ranged from 18-21 that came out to the show. They were absolutely ready to party. They had come from about 2 hours away. Another couple I had met came from New York after attending the previous night’s show in New York City at Pier 17. I would say the crowd was on the rowdier side by the time Riley made his way to the stage. Not as rowdy as a Gavin Adcock show, though, which are pure chaos. I have been to many shows at this venue and I believe this was the largest crowd in the General Admission pit that I have ever witnessed. Like I said, this venue could and should have been upgraded.
Riley kicked things off with his intro song, sporting a Fenway Park hat on the platform before heading down to the main stage for his signature duck call. He then proceeded to launch it into the crowd for one lucky fan. Riley made his show feel like a party. He often engaged with his fans, explaining the meaning behind his songs, notably about an ex-girlfriend which he constantly apologized for. I found that funny but this man wrote bangers out of that relationship. An unexpected moment from me was Riley’s band breaking out into a Ozzy Osbourne tribute. It was a nice honorable touch to the recent passing of the metal legend. One of my favorite country songs is “In Color” by Jamey Johnson, and Riley is covering it on this tour and his twist on the song did not disappoint. It was great to hear. Riley wasn’t done with covers, though. He blessed us with a little bit of Toby Keith as well! Toby must have been a major influence to Riley and it showed. Riley also brought out Ella Langley for two songs one of which included “you look like you love me”.
They nailed it. The way their voices complement each other is second to none from all the collaborations I have heard at concerts. She has one of the greatest female voices in the genre and Riley brings that calm southern accent which just seems to soothe your soul. Great duet. Riley’s backing band was solid. I hadn’t noticed any mishaps during the whole show. They were locked in and it didn’t go unnoticed. Dialed in all night. Although the band was perfect, it was also wonderful hearing Riley play acoustic all by himself. The way he picks the guitar with this gentle touch is pure magic. He’s seriously underrated as a non-lead guitarist. Riley Green finished out the night with an encore of "I Wish Grandpas Never Died" and an Alabama cover, "Dixieland Delight," and had Vincent Mason join him on stage while sporting a custom Red Sox jersey with his name on the back.
It is also worth noting that, separate from the music, Riley Green is a nice human being. Prior to the show he was on the street talking with fans. Took the time to sign album covers, take selfies, and just chit-chat. He comes off as a very humble, soft-spoken, and laid back guy. A nice added touch that is the persona of Riley “The Duckman” Green. It’s nice having good people in the world like him, especially to fans. Thanks for giving back to the community.
If you made it this far in the review, my question would be: did you stop halfway through reading and purchase your tickets to the your city’s show? Hope it isn’t too late now. I can’t praise this whole production enough. The lineup alone is a powerhouse. If you want to see a show where all the artists sing on key perfectly, never miss a beat, and are perfectly locked in all night, this is the country show for you. Which means, this is the show for everybody. Just be there. You will be missing out. Everyone in your circle of country-music-loving friends are going to be talking about it and you’ll have serious FOMO. I can’t rave or praise this show enough. One of the best shows of the year. It is a can’t miss concert. Go BUY.THE.TICKET or you will regret it and life is too short of regrets. Next time Riley, hear me out. Fenway Park. Play it.
James
