Country music star Blake Shelton brought the honky tonk back to Fresno’s Save Mart Center
There are ground rules for Blake Shelton’s Back to the Honky Tonk tour, which the celebrity country singer set out early during his performance at Fresno’s Save Mart Center on Thursday.
The do’s for the night:
1.) Celebrate honky tonk music.
2.) Drink.
“And that’s it,” saod Shelton, reaching out to shake hands with fans sitting at a bar constructed along a catwalk jutting from the stage.
“That’s it.”
There were some things, not allowed.
Vomiting, for one.
Peeing in the aisles. It’s happened before, Shelton said.
And politics.
It’s not clear who was thinking about politics before Shelton brought it up, but ...
The county singer kept true to his promise during a 25-song set that ran nearly two hours and dove heavily into his old stuff and even his “really old stuff,” including the singer’s first No. 1 hit, “Austin.” That came out in 2001, to give a timeline of things.
The lighting and visuals worked incredibly well in creating a down-home neon-light honky tonk aesthetic that pulled the audience in closer when needed and also expanded out to fill the arena in those key moments (during the finale of “God’s County,” for example).
The whole performance was a reminder of the evolution of country music in pop culture and how entwined it has become with other styles, particularly rock. Purists have been deriding “modern” county since Garth Brooks in the ‘90s, and Shelton makes that his wheelhouse.
While he performs with a twang and with musical and lyrical content indicative of country music, in the arena setting songs like “Sangria” seem to owe more to Fleetwood Mac than George Jones, whom Shelton paid homage to with the song “Ol’ Red.”
Dustin Lynch opens; Emily Ann Roberts on vocal rest
Emily Ann Roberts, a former contestant on “The Voice” (she was a finalist on season nine), was slated to open the show but was out on vocal rest for the night.
That was according to Dustin Lynch, who was wearing one of her T-shirts as he played through an extended set as the show’s sole opener.
Lynch is an opener who doesn’t feel like an opener, given his own success and long history playing in Fresno. The singer looked a bit scruffier than some fans might remember, with a short-growth beard, denim jacket and jeans.
He mostly played the hits, including “Chevrolet,” a song he released last year with Jelly Roll as a rewrite of the 1973 soul classic “Drift Away.” From the performance, one assumes Lynch is getting a heavy residual from the car maker.
Even with the words running on the screen at the back of the stage, it was difficult to not want to sing the original.
Lynch used his extra set time to offer up a few surprises. He bought drinks for a couple fans down at the bar and set up an on-stage proposal for a member of his security detail.
Random observations
▪ Roberts was missed. Country music is one of the few genres where the headliners really work to cultivate new artists by bringing them out on tour. Today’s openers are often tomorrow’s stars.
▪ Alyssa Witrado got a shout-out. Shelton recognized the Fresno singer from her stint as a contestant on “The Voice” and took a moment to point her out in the crowd. Witrado earned a spot on season 22 of the NBC competition show under the tutelage of Shelton’s wife, Gwen Stefani.
“Thanks mama Gwen and father Blake for the floor seat hookup,” she tweeted.
▪ There was an over/under among some fans on whether Stefani would join her husband on stage for a duet. She’s made surprise appearances before.
Stefani wasn’t there, but there were hints of the No Doubt singer throughout the show (in video during the song “Nobody But You”) and Shelton asked the crowd to be her stand-in on “Happy Anywhere.”
“You guys have to be my Gwen Stefani tonight. Sing it with me.”
▪ Fresno is “God’s Country.” If you parse out the lyrics to the song (except for the part about it being a one-church town), it’s easy to see why Shelton has done well with fans in Fresno.
Of course, plenty of fans probably relate to “The More I Drink,” too.
Blake Shelton set list, March 21, 2024, Save Mart Center Arena, Fresno
Come Back as a Country Boy
A Guy With a Girl
Every Time I Hear That Song
Doin’ What She Likes
Neon Light
Sangria
Gonna
I’ll Name the Dogs
Mine Would Be You
Nobody But You
Happy Anywhere
Drink on It
Some Beach
Who Are You When I’m Not Looking
The More I Drink
Home
Ol’ Red
Austin
Hell Right
Sure Be Cool If You Did
Honey Bee
Hillbilly Bone
Boys ‘Round Here
God’s Country
Encore
God Gave Me You
