Day 2 Review by Rebekah Hughes and Annette Holloway
Day 2 of the Patriotic Festival brought a little drizzle outside for the pre-show festival activities, but thankfully that didn’t matter since everything was moved inside of Norfolk Scope Arena. Impassioned from the previous night, a larger crowd filled the dome to see Sam Hunt, Jordan Davis, Drew Green and TracieLynn with the degree of patriotism turned up a notch. “Virginia is for COUNTRY MUSIC lovers!” announced the festival director, followed by a moving performance of the National Anthem sung by Lance Cpl. Jordan, USMC to kick off this Saturday before Memorial Day.
TracieLynn brought the party to Day 2 making a statement from the start by belting out her bold and twangy “All Goes South.” A Hampton Roads native (as evidenced by her correct pronunciation of Norfolk (NAW-fok), TracieLynn paid homage to her hometown and thanked the local military for their service. She then brought rowdy, fun-loving songs like “Welcome to the Party,” “Fat, Drunk and Pregnant,” and ”Your Whiskey” to the already energetic audience. Wearing a shiny hot pink outfit with white knee-length boots, her blonde beachy-waved locks flowing as she sang, TracieLynn smiled throughout every song, waving and engaging with the crowd and often kneeling to shake a fans hands, as you can see in the photos below. For her final songs, TracieLynn performed her Radio Disney #1 hit, “Good Kind of Crazy,” which brought cheers and applause, and then ended with her upcoming release, “Broadway Cowboy.”
TracieLynn Setlist
(1) All Goes South
(2) Welcome to the Party
(3) Good Kind of Crazy
(4) Fat, Drunk, & Pregnant
(5) Come Together
(6) Shot Through the Heart
(7) Your Whiskey
(8) Broadway Cowboy
Next up, Drew Green performed a 7-song set beginning with his popular single, “Money Don’t Stop.” Incorporating elements of hip-hop into his music, Green’s high-energy country music style has garnered him lots of attention in his short time as a performer. Green introduced a brand new single, “Prayer List” a vulnerable song acknowledging heartbreak and struggle yet recognizing the need to seek comfort from God, hence the lyrical request to “put me on the prayer list…” His sentimental “Good Ol’ Man” features humble lyrics and echoes Green’s desire to be his best self, and found the audience feeling the emotion, swaying with their phone flashlights held high. The song was an instant hit on TikTok, which Green considers his biggest stage. His “This Miller Lite of Mine” had the crowd singing and again swaying in unison while he toasted the audience with a can of Miller Lite. Green casually paused to sign a fans shirt then rounded out the evening with his popular song “Hooch,” a rowdy track consisting of Green’s unique blend of hip-hop, pop and his rich baritone voice.
Drew Green Setlist
(1) Money Don’t Stop
(2) She Got That
(3) Prayer List
(4) Say Yeah To the Left?
(5) Good Ol’ Man
(6) This Miller Lite of Mine
(7) Hooch
Jordan Davis performed next with a generous 14-song set, kicking it off with his No. 1 hit, “What My World Spins Around,” drawing thunderous cheers from the lively crowd. Wearing a blue plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up to his biceps, Davis continued to engage fans who were dancing along to his Platinum, No. 1 hits, “Singles You Up,” “Slow Dance in the Parking Lot” and “Take It From Me.” Davis slowed things down with his classic country, “Tucson Too Late” before introducing his latest release from his album, Bluebird Days, called “Sunday Saints,” a humble reflection of his humanity and the testing of his faith that finds him struggling throughout the song to choose between his Bible in one hand and a bottle in the other. He rounded out the evening with additional hits including “Almost Maybes,” “Next Thing You Know” and “Take It From Me.” Davis closed the night with his reflective and soulful CMA Song of the Year, “Buy Dirt,” originally a duet with Luke Bryan, and launching to number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2021 while continuing to remain in the Top Five most streamed country songs in 2021 and 2022. Look for Davis performing on his Damn Good Time Tour at a city near you.
Jordan Davis Setlist
(1) What My World Spins Around
(2) Singles You Up
(3) Damn Good Time
(4) Tucson Too Late
(5) Almost Maybes
(6) Sunday Saints
(7) Detours
(8) Slow Dance in a Parking Lot
(9) Next Thing You Know
(10) Part of It
(11) Whiskey Weak
(12) A Good Beer is a Cold One
(13) Take It From Me
(14) Buy Dirt
Headliner of the night and country-pop sensation, Sam Hunt, made a quick entrance on stage, then mingled with the audience on the arena floor, high-fiving and shaking hands with eager fans while singing “House Party.” For nearly a decade Hunt has been rocking the country music world with his insane talent, winning awards and topping charts with songs like “Leave the Night On,” which shot to number 1 on the Country Airplay chart and has since been certified Platinum. Other major accomplishments include wins at the Academy of Country Music Awards (Single Record of the Year), American Music Awards (New Artist of The Year), and Country Music Awards (Songwriter-artist of the Year), as well as numerous Grammy, Billboard, and People’s Choice Awards nominations.
Hunt pulled on audience heartstrings with songs like “Water Under the Bridge,” and nostalgic, family-centric ballads in “Raised On It,” “23,” “Kinfolks,” and “Take Your Time,“ all of which found the crowd singing and swaying in unison. Hunt’s stage production consisted of a huge screen playing nostalgic scenes from small towns and patriotic moments, endearing him even more to an audience already celebrating this Memorial Day weekend, and including them in what felt like a live music video. As the evening progressed, Hunt belted out “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s” another playful vibe full of 90’s references throughout its lyrics, and the haunting and vulnerable track, “Locked Up” that explores the darker shades of emotion. He continued with more small-town traditional country music with his new hit “Outskirts,” transporting listeners to the outskirts of town and evoking a sense of longing found in the simpler things. “Start Nowhere” explored uncertainty and self-discovery, inviting listeners to embrace new beginnings and affirming that beautiful journeys often begin with the courage to start from nowhere. Hunt closed out the evening with “Make You Miss Me,” “We Are Tonight” and a crowd favorite, “Body Like a Back Road,” ending a well-curated setlist showcasing his musical versatility and brilliant storytelling. Watch for Hunt on his “Summer on the Outskirts Tour.”
Sam Hunt Setlist
(1) House Party
(2) Leave the Night On
(3) Water Under The Bridge
(4) Kinfolks
(5) 23
(6) Locked Up
(7) Raised On It
(8) Hard to Forget
(9) Outskirts
(10) Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s
(11) Take Your Time
(12) Start Nowhere
(13) Country Roads
(14) Walmart
(15) Make You Miss Me
(16) We Are Tonight (Billy Currington cover)
(17) Break Up in a Small Town
(18) Young Once
(19) Ex to See
(20) Body Like a Back Road
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Check out Patriotic Festival — DAY 1 and DAY 3
Annette Holloway is a music, promo, portrait, and event photographer. Live concert photography and band/artist photoshoots occupy much of her time. Her work has been published on numerous media outlets including Billboard, Pollstar, NBC News, Getty Images, Forbes, HM Magazine, ICON Sportswire, Loudwire, CCM Magazine, and many more. Before diving into photography full time, she was a NASA software engineer, webmaster, church youth leader, and robotics mentor. For more information about her photography, visit AnnetteHolloway.com.
