Lainey Wilson helped kick off CMA Fest earlier this week with a fan club performance at Nashville’s The Bell Tower. The event – Lainey’s Wilson’s Bell Bottom Barn Dance – saw the breakout star invite a few emerging country artists to open for her.
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The week leading up to the Bell Bottom Barn Dance, Wilson and a few of her fellow established artists (Ashley McBryde, Dustin Lynch, Lauren Alaina, and Kat & Alex) helped to mentor the five emerging artists selected for the program: Hailey Verhaalen, Drew Hale, Tae Lewis, Cosette Smith and Austin McNeill.
Presented by Tractor Supply, the event was a special one given that Wilson could’ve been considered an emerging artist a year ago and now she’s a must-see act, playing Nashville’s Nissan Stadium during country music’s biggest weekend.
Wilson was just about to perform her breakout hit, “Heart Like a Truck,” when she explained why she wanted to be involved with an event like this.
“Ashely McBryde, who is a mentor in this program, is one of the folks who helped me over the wall when I first started,” Wilson said. “I remember we were in Texas playing a show and she said, ‘Lainey I want to help you but, you’ve got to promise me that you’re going to help that next person.'”
“I said, ‘You’ve got a deal,'” she continued.
Wilson certainly held up her end of the bargain this weekend.
The five emerging artists each played a song prior to Wilson taking the stage. Each had their own unique country flavor.
First to take the stage, Hale flexed his rich, powerful vocals on a song called “River Jordan,” followed by McNeil, who brought a classic country flare with “Ridin’ Highways.”
Smith prompted a strong reaction from the crowd with her lulling track “Foundation.” Lewis, a member of the Black Opry, delivered an affecting performance of “Dear Me,” while Verhaalen closed things out with an anthem for homebodies everywhere, “House Always Wins.”
Wilson took the stage soon after the emerging artists wrapped up, opening up her set with “Hillbilly Hippie.”
“I’ve been coming to CMA Fest every year since I was fourteen years old,” Wilson said before playing the Bell Bottom Country cut. “You get to come here and be inspired and we all have so much in common.”
She continued, “We put out a record in October and it’s about leaning into whoever you are and what makes you different. I got a feeling I ain’t the only hillbilly hippie in here!”
The up-tempo track did its job of getting the crowd amped up for the rest of the performance. After “Hillbilly Hippie,” she kept the good vibes going with performances of “Dirty Looks” and “Watermelon Moonshine.”
Wilson told a plethora of stories in between songs, giving her fan club, the “Fast Lainers,” an insight into how she felt amid her whirlwind year.
She got back to her roots with the song “Those Boots,” which she explained she wrote for her dad.
“He is a tough son of a gun,” she said. “He is the one that taught me how to pull up my bootstraps when times get tough.”
Those boots will never go out of style / One day they’ll walk me down the aisle / I pray everyday, one day I will / Find a man to fill / Those boots, she sang in honor of her dad, Brian Wilson.
Wilson proved why she generated so much buzz with her high-flying vocal range and distinct twang throughout the performance. Wilson is a singular voice in country music right now – one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.
Before Wilson closed things out with “Things a Man Oughta Know,” she brought the emerging artists back up to the stage to help her sing “Heart Like a Truck.” It felt like a full-circle moment for Wilson as she sang the song that put her on the map with artists who now see her as a mentor and a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Feature Image Credit: Roxy Moure / Flytevu
