Sam Hunt closed out Day Two of Stagecoach 2019, promising "a big time" and delivering with an electrifying performance that included the usual suspects like "Take Your Time" and "House Party."
And despite long pauses in between songs, another highlight was his performance of the songwriter's version of Keith Urban's "Cop Car." Describing his style as, "simple stories set to simple music. Some are true, some are made up but this one is based on a completely true experience," he noted of the song, recalling that sneaking through a fence to watch 747s with a girl with whom he'd hung out with twice seemed "like a romantic way to spend a Friday night in Birmingham, Alabama."
That girl became his wife "two years and two weeks ago."
Sam performed another song Hannah had inspired, then became a hit for another artist: "I Met a Girl" (brought into the mainstream by William Michael Morgan)," and then another: "We Are Tonight" (made a hit by Billy Currington).
He invited Luke Combs back to the stage to sing his version of Brooks & Dunn's "Brand New Man," one of the strongest songs on a very strong collection, Reboot.
An unexpected surprise came with his rendition of Waylon Jennings' "Belle of the Ball." "One of my favorite things about country music is that it celebrates heritage," he explains. "Our generation of music sounds a lot different than the music our parents listened to. But it's important to remember the folks who came before us."
It was a return to Stagecoach for Sam, who'd previously played in 2016, during which he famously surprised the audience by bringing out Snoop Dog. Unfortunately, this set has set a very high bar, and further surprise guests were noticeably absent.
Mashed up with "Break Up In a Small Town" was the deeply personal "Drinkin' Too Much," and as the show came to a close with "Make You Miss Me" and "Body Like a Back Road," the crowd sang along and left on a high note.
Setlist:
1. Leave the Night On
2. House Party
3. Take Your Time
4. Cop Car
5. Saturday Night
6. Downtown's Dead
7. I Met a Girl
8. We Are Tonight
9. Speakers
10. Raised on It
11. Brand New Man (Brooks & Dunn cover, with Luke Combs)
12. Belle of the Ball (Waylon Jennings cover)
13. Ex to See
14. Break Up In a Small Town / Drinkin' Too Much
15. Make You Miss Me
16. Body Like a Back Road
