We review Kelsea Ballerini in Knoxville using (almost) only her lyrics. Can you spot them?

On Nov. 2, with traffic headed downtown from out west somewhere, I ain’t got nowhere to be – settled down early across the river at a show at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

For a while, a small venue fit, but then she outgrew it. Now, Kelsea Ballerini is set to perform her "Homecoming Show" in front of what will seem like half of her hometown in the sold-out crowd.

I’m a few months out from 29, and I do this a lot. But it’s rare to see a star not forget where she came from. Even more rare is getting to spend time in the same room as her before a show while waiting for the band to start up (sorry to make everybody jealous).

I don’t want to be a bragger. But while I’ve got your attention, let me mention: The smile, the charm, the words, the spark, everything – she has it all.

I came here to unwind, but now it’s seven on the dot, and they are rolling up the welcome mat for the pre-show mingle. The doors are barely even open as Georgia Webster begins to play, causing an adrenaline rush in the arena – same for Ingrid Andress. But nothing compares to when the homecoming queen takes the stage in the middle of the madness.

The stars are out, and the night is young as we move to our place with a view – fortunately, not an aisle with a mess I gotta clean up, but seats somewhere in between cheap and fancy (OK, they were superb). Dark as midnight and with fans lost in it, the air is filled with noise as the band is turned up to 10 following a singalong to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” The ground shakes with bright lights flashing. It feels like the walls closing in.

They know her name all over town, and fans begin to chant it. Sometimes, you just want to scream. It kind of felt like magic on a Thursday night − hotter than a Saturday night in Knoxville − making this quiet town feel electric.

Ballerini decides she’s gonna jump right in after rising from beneath the stage in a fog. Who knows what’ll happen?

“Wow,” she said after a couple songs, catching fans’ attention and making them stop and listen. “I went to my very first concert in this room. It was Britney Spears. … It was a slay. And it’s just been the craziest year of my life. And I had to end it well, and I had to end it with people that I love and that I trust. And that’s you.”

The setlist for her first major arena show as a headliner was like a little mixtape, with songs about love, lies, trucks, real life, first kisses, last cars and bad breakin' ups – her life. Song after song, there was no reason to check your phone as she didn’t miss a beat. Digging what she was doing, fans danced along with their best foot forward as if to say, “I feel you, I hear you.”

As for Ballerini, she couldn’t keep her feet on the ground and decided to fly away for a moment with her body in a harness and with her head up in the clouds. There was fire, there was magic, there was confetti falling. There was even a surprise appearance by Kenny Chesney for "half of my hometown."

Someone’s always holding up a sign, and a few caught her attention. She even stopped to sign a guitar while walking through the crowd.

“I’ve gotten to play a lot of shows in the past decade … But if there is one show that I’m glad you came to it’s this one,” Ballerini said like she means it, with no intentions under the surface. “If there's one thing you hear from me tonight, it's 'thank you.'"

The show was so good until it was gone, and you’d be crazy for being the one to leave early. Though it felt like it could go on forever as we got lost in those neon lights, deep down we knew that was too good to be true. The curtain started coming down as fans were still begging for a little more good times.

While there were no "Go Bobcats" chants from the Central High School students invited by Ballerini, there were shouts for “one more song.” And while there was no firework show or grand return, just a "Rocky Top" singalong, there’s still silver lining: You put on a show – one that had fans feeling a little bit of everything.

They’ll stay up all night replaying every line you said like an aftershock. The following day, they will be telling everybody about what they did last night. And for years, they will put you on playback in their minds – or in their cars until the speakers burst.

It may even sound cliché, but we don’t know what the future is holding for our hometown star if she keeps writing songs that she loves.

When you find a diamond, you can’t keep it from shining. And Knoxville can’t wait to see you when you get back.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: We review Kelsea Balerini concert in Knoxville using her own lyrics