Chris Lane gives Mankato its “Fix” of country music
Mark Reynolds
Staff Writer
Pop-country artist Chris Lane performed in the Bresnan Arena at Minnesota State University, Mankato Thursday, March 28.
The show opened with singer Tyler Rich, who played an intimate acoustic set, comprised of two acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass guitar.
The California native drew in the audience with a great stage presence and energy. His hit single “The Difference” had the crowd singing and dancing.
Chris Lane came onto the stage with an explosion of energy that was kept up throughout the whole concert, capturing the audience in a country trance, transforming the Bresnan Arena into a dance floor filled with so much energy that even I had a good time.
Throughout the night, Lane played all his hits, including “I Don’t Know About You,” “New Phone, Who’s This” and “Fishin’”. Never had I seen so many people at a concert who knew every word to every song.
But that just speaks to the loyalty of country music fans. According to a 2015 study by Spotify, folk and country fans are the third and fourth most genre loyal in the world.
And Lane definitely earned that loyalty. The North Carolina native put on a wild performance filled with a mixture of original songs, fan interaction, throwback tunes and plenty of surprises.
His keyboardist got up and showed off his rap skills, they played a medley of several country classics, including Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’Boogie”, and he even brought a fan onstage and sang to her.
Lane, whose 2017 single “Take Back Home Girl” reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Top 50 Hot Country Songs, even played some non-country songs including blink-182’s “All The Small Things”.
One of the most entertaining parts of the show was when Lane wasn’t singing – or at least not Chris. His identical twin brother Cory Lane, who plays drums for Chris, was surprised by the band as they made him sing Kenny Chesney’s “I Go Back,” which he did with aplomb.
Near the end of the show, Lane borrowed a fan’s cowboy hat, which he then wore through the end of the set.
As someone who has never been to a country music concert, I didn’t really know what to expect (aside from jeans and flannel, of which there were plenty). I’m not a fan of country music, but I don’t hate it. I still have fond memories of my grandma playing country radio in her car.
That being said, I had a great time. Once I placed myself in the audience, I quickly felt the energy of the music and understood why people love this music. I found myself wanting to sing along to songs that I had never heard before.
What this concert really did is remind me to keep an open mind, especially in music. If I didn’t, I would never have gone to this concert. And Chris Lane put on a fantastic concert.
Header photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.