Kelsea Ballerini Headlines Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena: Best Moments

In 2018, Kelsea Ballerini headlined a present at Nashville’s roughly 2,300-seat, revered music venue the Ryman Auditorium for the primary time — and shortly after, made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t headline in Nashville once more till she might promote out the roughly 20,000-seat Bridgestone Enviornment, situated simply blocks away.

The nation singer-songwriter triumphantly reached that aim on Friday evening (Jan. 31), when she headlined Nashville’s Bridgestone Enviornment to a sold-out crowd of admiring followers, as a part of her Kelsea Ballerini Stay on Tour 2025 trek.

“I can not imagine we’re at a sold-out evening at Bridgestone Enviornment,” Ballerini informed followers early in her headlining set. “One factor about me, I’m not gonna play it cool in any respect. I’m going to freak out hopefully alongside you all night. I’ve been on this room one million occasions. As a fan, that is the room that I’ve seen my favourite artists. I’ve been in right here for the CMAs and the CMTs and so many issues and this room means a lot to me.”

Not solely have the previous seven years seen Ballerini cement her headliner standing as an artist, however the five-time Grammy nominated artist additional established herself as a multi-media presence, internet hosting awards reveals, snagging a model take care of CoverGirl — and additional establishing herself with maybe her greatest tv look to this point: a job as a coach on the tv sequence The Voice, which launches Monday. Ballerini introduced a little bit of that tv extravaganza to the Bridgestone, as followers lined up throughout the Bridgestone’s harmony for an opportunity to sit down within the famed crimson coach’s chair from The Voice.

However throughout her efficiency, it was Ballerini’s heart-connecting songs and powerful rapport together with her fanbase that have been on the coronary heart of her vivid, high-production area spectacle. She proved once more that she’s as adept at crafting grand-scale anthems as veering towards bone-cuttingly susceptible ballads. Ladies have continued to rule pop music over the previous few years, with artists starting from Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter every providing up their very own distinctive manufacturers of songwriting and storytelling to relate their very own views on life and love and every part in between. Ballerini serves up that very same ethos within the nation music sphere, to a lot fan acclaim.

The all-women lineup commanding Friday evening’s sold-out Bridgestone Enviornment present additionally featured openers MaRynn Taylor and Sasha Alex Sloan opening for Ballerini.

Ballerini launched her headlining set with the self-aware ballad “Patterns,” the title monitor from her October-released album, which debuted atop Billboard’s nation albums chart, and at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Seated atop what appeared to be a pile of baggage evoking the picture from her album cowl, Ballerini requested the gang, “Are you prepared to start unpacking?”

From there, she led the largely feminine viewers via an emotional and musical whirlwind, chronicling her journey from a wide-eyed newcomer on songs resembling “Love Me Like You Imply It” to world-wisened artist who has navigated heartbreak and hard-earned classes to emerge with a stronger sense of self and a new-found freedom. She additionally proved her prowess as an attractive and effervescent entertainer as she crafted a present tailored for each a enjoyable evening out, interspersed with heart-on-her-sleeve, soul-pouring moments.

“We’ve got songs for the girlies, your finest associates, your journey or die and love songs,” she stated, crusing via songs together with the ladies’ evening out anthems “Gap within the Bottle,” and “If I Go Down (You’re Goin’ Down Too).”

The present had all of the accoutrements of a full-throttle country-pop present: huge video screens, a catwalk stage via the center of the viewers, lights and pyro, as Ballerini traversed via an array of spangled outfits all through the night, from crimson bodysuits to sparkly attire and stylish robes.

A set equally stuffed with rancor and romance, with wholehearted love songs (“Heartfirst,” “Love Me Like You Imply It”) and serrated heartbreak songs. However towering above both of those have been a bedrock of tune threaded with empowerment (“I Miss Me Extra”), private progress and friendship (“I Would, Would You”). Her model of pop-minded nation, with songs that hint the diaristic particulars of Ballerini’s zeniths and lows over the previous few years. Her selection to depart these particulars bitingly intact on tasks resembling her pivotal Rolling Up The Welcome Mat and its successor Patterns have cemented Ballerini who has developed as an artist and author unafraid to succeed in into the depths, even on songs she attire up within the shiniest of melodies and sparkliest of stage productions.

And for Ballerini, not all the time “enjoying it cool” has been a key ingredient in how she construct her robust rapport together with her followers — her willingness to share the messy, confused, despairing, and questioning moments alongside these of supreme confidence. Even small moments when the present didn’t go completely as deliberate — a minor outfit mishap that led Ballerini to sit down down onstage and repair her shoe, and elsewhere a missed cue — got here off as merely the sort of all-too-human moments which have made Ballerini the relatable artist she is.

Ballerini’s exuberant voice, paired with a willingness to tear down emotional obstacles between artist, the songs and the followers, have earned Ballerini an ardent fanbase. Reflecting on her decade-long journey from her 2014 breakthrough songs resembling “Love Me Like You Imply It,” Ballerini informed the gang, “I made my first 4 information so actually, and I actually did my finest to jot down songs about my life. After I was writing ‘Dibs’ and ‘Love Me Like You Imply It’ and ‘Peter Pan,’ that was really, that was the id of a 19-year-old lady, for certain. However there was a part of me that rounded the sides on these songs, as a result of my true need as an artist… I needed to make music for actually everybody — primarily the ladies and the gays,” eliciting rapturous cheers from the viewers.

She added, “My method of doing that was I ignored the sharpness as a result of I needed it to be absorbable. After which I made Rolling Up The Welcome Mat and I didn’t try this in any respect. It was the primary report that I made it for me and it modified my life. After I was attempting to make Patterns, all I needed to do was make it possible for I didn’t return to being scared of getting edges. I didn’t wish to be scared of claiming exhausting truths. I needed to maintain down the trail of that.”

Previous to performing her 2016 tune “Peter Pan,” she addressed the younger ladies within the room with the regular assurance of a wiser, older sister, “I would like you to know that you’re value of regular, good love.”

The AEG Presents-promoted tour will wrap April 9 in North Carolina.

Under, we take a look at 5 high moments from Ballerini’s Bridgestone Enviornment present.