An Evening with Brad Paisley

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Brad Paisley
AVA Amphitheatre
Tucson, AZ
August 13, 2022

by Mary Andrews

Brad Paisley has wowed concertgoers all over the world and Tucson, Arizona was no exception on Saturday night. He has proven that he is a smart, moving and, at times, funny songwriter. Paisley is an unrivaled guitar player and avid showman. This show was a rip-roaring night of country music.

Paisley kicked off his set with “American Saturday Night” to an eager, hand-clapping crowd of all ages. There was a runway that extended deep into the audience and Paisley used it frequently to shake hands and make the fans feel as though they were apart of the show. He followed up with “Best This Summer” and “Online,” keeping the upbeat mood going.

Paisley addressed the fans with, “We’re thrilled to be back in your state especially when it’s not 115 degrees. This is like winter for you here. When I saw Tucson in August (on the schedule), I was really worried. We get to have a ball. It feels like the air conditioning is on. It’s been years of weirdness for us but we’re taking advantage of the fact we get to play music for you again.”

Paisley continued, “We’re going to have a great time and pretend school is not back yet.” He pressed on with the set with some slower songs including “Perfect Storm,” “”Waitin’ On a Woman,” and “Then.” The fans were more than willing to singalong with “Then” and “Celebrity.” Other than a couple of cover songs, the majority of the set consisted of Paisley’s best songs.

Paisley spent a lot of time on the runway extension shaking hands with fans. During his song, “I’m Still a Guy,” He shopped and picked up a fan’s phone and as he looked through her phone he invited the crowd to send her friend requests.

At one point in the show, Paisley handed a signed guitar to a child in the front row and telling him, “Learn how to play that, and you don’t know, but I just got you a prom date.”

Paisley rocked his way through “River Bank” and “Crushin’ It.” Enough cannot be said about his guitar skills. His fingers were all over the neck of his guitar. He gave his band members an opportunity to display their musical prowess as well. Kudos particularly to his fiddle player,

Paisley’s sense of humor and crowd interaction make his shows a winner. For not being able to perform for the last two years, Paisley’s show stopping performance is unsurpassed by any entertainer alive today.