Jason Aldean Concert Review: Hitting A Mark Many Artists Fail To Reach

Jason Aldean sold out the Shoreline Amphitheater in seven minutes. The fact the concert was a sell out wasn’t a huge shock, considering the star power he currently holds. But the amount of time it took the Aldean fans to purchase 22,500 tickets was staggering. The show quickly went from just another summer concert to a bona fide happening. A difficult task in the busy universe of Bay Area entertainment. Aldean brought along Luke Bryan to open the show. Which simply added more of a frenzy for seats to the last country performance of the season at the busiest venue in Northern California.

By the time Luke Bryan ran on stage the alcohol had been flowing for around 7 hours. After-all this was the “My Kinda Party Tour” and the fans were sure to have gotten that party started in the early afternoon hours. They all managed to file in from the parking lot in time to see Bryan. So he was able to perform to a full house. Something he does really well.

Bryan is another country crooner who is well on his way to Aldean territory. His song book is chalk full of catchy numbers that conjure images of sprawling farm land, backwoods parties and southern girls. “Country Girl Shake it for Me,” doesn’t leave much to the imagination in the lyrics department but it gets the audience dancing. Bryan also danced. A lot. And made sure to hand the microphone over to fans a couple of times for some back up vocals. He was the perfect counter part to Aldean and kicked off the show in pure country fashion.

When Aldean appeared, his hat pulled low over his eyes, the sold out audience hit a new decibel level. He didn’t really come out swinging though. The slow tempo “Big Green Tractor,” was his third song out of the gate. Followed up by a few more numbers about break ups and heartache. He quickly changed direction though. “I like to get the slow one’s out of the way first so we can rock out the rest of the night,” Aldean explained. The audience didn’t have any objections.

After that quick explanation the guitars were cranked up and the country star showcased his skills. Although the audience interaction was at a minimum the music spoke for itself. His performance was just as advertised. It was a party. It was raging on the massive general admission lawn, the bars in the venue, the expensive seats down front and even the parking lots. Fans just wanted to be there, ticket or not.

There are only a few times a year when concert’s become more than just a routine sold out show. Aldean was able to hit a mark that many artists fail to reach. This was “one of those shows.” The kind that people never forget and the kind that fans will lie about with a claim that they were in the venue for that epic night. Aldean is a captivating performer who has a die hard following and an ability to start a party no matter where he is.