Tyler Childers at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville Tennessee April 16
A Sobering Performance by Tyler Childers Brings Knoxville to Tears
When you wait a lifetime for something to happen and it’s everything you thought–that’s the beauty and the danger because now you’re hooked. Tyler Childers is, in my opinion, one of country music’s most humble and talented artists. But it’s more than his artistry, it’s his humanity. Having only seen copious amounts of Youtube videos until it was my turn to bear witness to his magic in person, I knew I was expecting him to be immensely grateful and humble throughout his performance at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee last week on April 16th.
If parking for an event opens up three plus hours before doors even open, you have to assume it’s going to be something you’ll either brag to your friends about seeing or lament to your friends about missing. Kicking off the evening in Knoxville, only two and a half hours from their hometown of Castlewood, Virginia, 49 Winchester came onto the stage with comfort and familiarity. Their honky tonk heartbreak vibes are everything we need today–vulnerability mixed with just some damn good tunes to two-step to. I like how lead singer Isaac Gibson puts it when he says the band has been on a “low simmer” for many years before their recent and rapid growth following the release of their first album Fortune Favors the Bold with their label New West Records.
Their love for their craft and fans permeates onstage whether they’re playing to 2,000 people (the approximate population of their hometown) or 20,000 people, and that is the litmus to their success now and continued success in the near future. In addition to their classics like “Damn Darlin” and “Last Call,” they performed a few songs off their new album Leavin’ This Holler, which will be the prolific band’s fifth studio album in the 10 years since its inception, including new single “Yearnin’ For You,” “Hillbilly Happy,” and “Tulsa.” 49 Winchester, while growing with each iteration, still maintains their one of a kind sound and Appalchian roots with enviable ease and enthusiasm. Catch them on the road and on the festival circuit this summer! Find more details on 49 Winchester here: https://49winchester.com
The energy of the evening ebbed and flowed following 49’s high octane set. While the Childers fervor was percolating throughout the arena, a nostalgic 2-bit Oregon Trail looking graphic of a mule pulling a cart as a man steered appeared on the 60-foot LED screens. The avatar snaked a trail around the screen until it reached the middle when, what I could only describe as, Tyler Childers’ theme song slowly crescendoed in conjunction with the graphic. Childers and his band The Food Stamps graced the stage to a raucous and anticipatory cheer.
His fisherman-esque beanie and jean jacket portrayed his usual laid back, working man aesthetic: a notion that he holds in paradox as he plays to over 20,000 people, and not for the first time. After opening with “Percheron Mules” from his new album Rustin in the Rain and “Born Again” from 2017’s Purgatory, he expressed his gratitude for all in attendance and, with a devilish smirk and his smooth Kentucky twang, remarked “and it seems like you brought friends with you. Thank you.” “You all like what is happen’ here at least a little bit enough to be here and that is a start and that warrants being good to each other…You might be standin’ next to the person you end up marryin’ or something and that’d be cool wouldn’t it?” But you can’t help but wonder if behind the cheers are genuine ears taking in the notion of community and kindness that Childers staunchly champions in his art and personal life. As he spoke to the audience, he acknowledged the sacrifices everybody made to be there whether it was “finding someone to tend to the youngins” or traveling from “hither and yonder,” in his infamous southern drawl and diction.
If I closed my eyes–which of course I didn’t because I couldn’t bear to miss even a second of Childers’ performance–I could’ve sworn I was floating on a river of smooth vinyl as his perfect vocals flooded my ears. As if an auditory affair wasn’t enough, his far off gaze when he’s deeply considering what he wants to say next or his abundant and unadulterated facial expressions added to his sincere and timeless lyrics. Drizzling honey down his throat between songs as the night progressed with “In Your Love,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” and a mashup of “Purgatory” and “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven,” the chorus of 20,000 people harmonizing his songs back to him was just as masterful the original recordings.
After the stage was reset for his solo acoustic interlude and he finished “Nose to the Grindstone,” Childers paused to acknowledge the significance of playing in Knoxville. He began the story of the last time he was in Knoxville, explaining how he was on the way to Kentucky, as the audience was quick to erupt in synchronized boos, to which he lovingly reprimanded, “Hey, I’m telling a story here.”
Childers prefaced the recollection with his dislike for discussing his own sobriety, jokingly and simply saying “I don’t talk about my sobriety because I don’t like talking about it,” while sharing with more than 20,000 people about the last time he played in Knoxville. As he stated so plainly, “It was the last place I ever had me a good drunk.” His grin gave the crowd permission to laugh, but the significance of the evening slowly crept across his face and out of his eyes while they quietly began to well with the memories of his looming sobriety at that time. He explained that he was nursing a hangover on his day off instead of spending time with his family at home in Kentucky ahead of month long stretch on the road firmly proclaiming “I’m done with that.” Holding back tears, he commented on the passage of time and how it’s the thing that’s most valuable because you simply can’t get it back. Reminding the audience that sobriety looks different for every person but noting for him it was spending copious amounts of time cleaning his shoes–yet further remarking, while looking at his dusty boots, that he has since moved on to other things. Like learning to play the fiddle, rather he said he “played at the fiddle” as it’s a tricky instrument to learn no matter how much time you have.
While he tenderly sang “Lady May” from his 2017 album Purgatory, a close up on the jumbotron displayed his ring finger adorned with a heart and the first intrial of his wife, Senora May, as he picked his timeless love song. After a rather humbling and vulnerable segue, the band returned to the stage for “All Your’n,” and in Kiss Cam fashion, the jumbotron displayed couples embracing in the audience, which was achingly adorable.
The night proceeded with honesty and humor as Childers joked with his bandmates and the audience in like fashion and continued giving us an epic and uniquely curated performance. Reading recently that Childers only goes out on the road for two weeks at a time now to prioritize stability and family time, I can appreciate how much he gives to his fans while he is performing and that is a testament to the man behind the performer, and I cannot wait to see how that man grows and continues pushing his art.
Check out his tour information here on his website: https://tylerchildersmusic.com/pages/tour-dates
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Tyler Childers Rustin’ in the Rain
And also here: Song Premiere: 49 Winchester Everlasting Lover
