By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
Foster Pavilion was filled with the sounds of whining guitars, feisty fiddles, cowboy boot stomping and raucous cheers for Tucker Wetmore’s first arena performance at Foster Pavilion Thursday.
Leading up to the show’s commencement, students in attendance spoke of their anticipation of seeing Wetmore perform live.
“I love country music,” San Antonio freshman Madeline Karnatz said. “I’ve lived in Texas my entire life. Country music is just in my soul, I guess.”
Some others also expressed gratitude to Baylor for not only bringing big names to campus, but also taking a chance on rising artists.
“What other chance are you going to see this artist that I think is going to be big?” Lake Stevens, Wash., freshman Elizabeth Shapley said. “I’d like to say later on that I saw him when I was in college, and that Baylor knew that he was gonna be something one day.”
Santa Clara, Calif., freshman Ryan Trujillo said he likes Wetmore’s Wallen Morgan-esque sound, and appreciates that the show’s ticket prices weren’t sky high.
“College students like us, we don’t got the most money,” he said. “We don’t want to be spending 200 dollars.”
The night’s opener, Tulsa native Kaitlin Butts, was introduced with wild western standoff whistles, reminiscent of the theme from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” Butts, a fellow rising country star, walked on in a white, puffed sleeve blouse, a brown pleated skirt and a tan cowgirl hat, complete with a white garter hugging her right thigh.
She and her band carried out a spirited set, riddled with gritty, twangy tunes, many like “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me)” and “Hunt You Down” in vengeful, sometimes bluesy storytelling forms. She made clear to the crowd through her lyrics that she is not one to be messed with and she’s more a wild west outlaw type than a sweet southern belle.
Butts also sang more lighthearted songs, leading into “Roadrunner” and switching over with a nod to Baylor’s recent alcohol policy change to “Wild Juanita’s Cactus Juice,” a playful tune about none other than a good, stiff drink.
What started as a concentrated, chatter-filled gaggle in front of the stage with attendees sprinkled throughout the surrounding seats built up to a sizable crowd with a nearly full arena as Butts played through her set. Butts closed out her set strongly with a cover of “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World.
In preparation for Wetmore’s set, a giant, saloon-themed backdrop rose from the stage, adorned with liquor bottles lined on shelves, taxidermy deer mounts, barstools and phrases like “Drinkin’ Boots” and “Brunettes Drink Free” alluding to the artist’s discography.
Once Wetmore made his appearance, the crowd piped up with cheers and “yahoos” as he made his way down the stage stairs.
Throughout the night, the crowd stayed lively for Wetmore’s songs. Faces illuminated red by the lighting sang along to “Wine Into Whiskey.” Couples in the pit spontaneously jumped into partner dances during “When I Ain’t Lookin’,” twirling, shuffling and dipping in patterns across the floor. Jumping, screaming and much more whooping and hollering ensued when Wetmore queued up a cover of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
In turn, Wetmore interacted with the crowd throughout his set. He joked with the crowd about breakups and called out one attendee at the barrier to share her breakup story, even naming him at Wetmore’s request.
“This one goes out to Franklin,” he added as “Mister Miss Her” began.
Wetmore switched over to a piano centered under a spotlight onstage for “What Not To,” along with a few brief covers of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Footloose,” “Easy” by The Commodores and even Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” and “Midnight Sonata” with a Texan twist.
As the night closed out, Wetmore transitioned into hits like “3,2,1,” “Bad Luck Looks Good On Me,” and “What Would You Do,” a red-lit, mic drop-worthy breakup anthem. Halfway through, he took time to reminisce on when he first embarked on his music journey, and said his thank yous to his team before closing out with “Wind Up Missing You” and “Brunette,” all pomp and fanfare included.
“I think back of all the stuff we’ve done and accomplished, all the cool places we’ve been able to play,” Wetmore said. “This is just a testament of what is to come. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my dreams come true every single day. I love y’all so much.”
