It’s not always easy being a country music fan these days. Country radio doesn’t sound the same as it used to. Many of the newer “artists” are downright awful human beings, and many older country heroes are, in a word, disappointing. Tyler Childers — whether it’s his intention or not — is on a path to change that. His show at Riverbend on Friday put a little light back into the eyes of many country fans.
Childers’ crowd wasn’t entirely unlike any other country or folk show that has headlined Riverbend in recent years. There were cowboy boots that had clearly never seen mud, fishing shirts à la Luke Combs littering the stands and drunk girls making doe eyes at aloof, mulleted boyfriends during every single love song.
But there was something friendlier in that massive swath of people, too. Annoyances with strangers seemed more easily shrugged off. There were fewer instances of scheming fans trying to get closer at the expense of others. It seemed that just the very existence of Childers put the crowd at ease.
“This is the most chill crowd I’ve seen,” one event staff member remarked on the lawn.
Riverbend’s rowdiest moment came at the end of Childers’ latest hit, “Bitin’ List,” when he encouraged concertgoers to bark and howl like rabid dogs, mimicking the cacophony of noise that closes the song on his newest album, Snipe Hunter.
“Bitin’ List,” by the way, was preceded by a short, seated chat where Childers caught his breath — and shared his list of humans who deserved a good bitin’. His grievances? People who don’t return their shopping carts, concert talkers and cyclists who ride in the street.
Soon after “Bitin’ List,” toward the middle of his show, Childers made his way to a small pedestal stage at the back of the pavilion, where he played and sang a few songs for everyone — but especially gave those on the lawn a better view. Between “Lady May,” “Nose on the Grindstone” and “Shake the Frost,” Childers managed to wreak havoc on the crowd’s emotions — which, let’s face it, is one of the things he does best.
While the mic didn’t always pick up Childers’ speech perfectly from his time on the smaller stage, there was absolutely no denying the sound he and his band produced from either one. Country and folk music both have a tendency to feel thinner in large venues, but that wasn’t the case Friday night. Everything was crisp, clear and powerful. And while the stage was decorated with glowing orbs, a comfy chair and an old-school television, none of it felt overdone or “too much.” The production hinted at Childers’ elevation into the limelight but still felt genuine — special without being over the top.
It was clear that the sold-out Riverbend show wasn’t just special for fans — it held meaning for Childers as well. Early in his set, the Kentucky native spoke about one of the band’s first performances, which took place in Cincinnati. The story drew plenty of whoops and hollers from fans, many of whom have loved the singer since those early shows on tiny stages so close to his hometown.
While the Riverbend show may not have felt like a full-blown hometown return for Childers, you could tell it felt like the return of something special to the roughly 20,000 fans in attendance. His one mistake? Not adding a second night.
