When Kane Brown started posting videos of himself performing covers to his Facebook page in 2014, the 21-year-old who grew up between Fort Oglethorpe and LaFayette, Georgia, wanted to make songs that both challenged the conventions of country music and would make his hometown proud.
It’s been seven years since Brown, now 28, has gone from viral sensation to global superstar. He’s become one of country music’s most daring yet successful performers in the streaming era and the first-ever country artist to top all five main country charts simultaneously. The genre-bending heartthrob synonymous with belting out raspy verses or whiskey-drenched croons took center stage at State Farm Arena with his Blessed and Free tour on Sunday, Oct. 24.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brown, who recently launched his own record label brought his audience into his own mesmerizing musical matrix, meshing loud rock guitar, stadium anthems, pop melodies, bluegrass riffs and a hip-hop attitude. The performer projected films on massive monitors behind the band that blended music video snippets, green geometric tiles, surveillance video captioned with his song lyrics, and the singer giving poster boy and runway model realness.
The singer limped, hopped, skipped and jumped the entire evening because he twisted his ankle during his show in Memphis the day before the Atlanta performance. The cast on Brown’s foot didn’t keep the heartfelt performer from delivering an electrifying set, exploding into “Pull It Off,” “Be Like That,” “Short Skirt Weather,” “Cool Again,” “Hometown,” and “Lose It.”
Brown, who was originally signed to producer Polow Da Don’s Zone 4 imprint, reiterated the entire night how happy he was to be “home.” As he stood under triangle-shaped props full of strobe lights, his set transitioned between multi-colored lasers, torches of spraying fire, and fog billowing upright across the stage.
There were several nods to Atlanta sports teams during Brown’s 90-minute set. He changed into several Atlanta sports team jerseys — starting with the Hawks and ending with the Falcons — and Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawk joined Brown on-stage during “Famous Friends,” his duet with Chris Young.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Then Brown got poignant. Seated on a stool, he dove into an intimate acoustic set that allowed him to share some anecdotes about his humble beginnings. The first Black solo artist to win Video of the Year at the ACM Awards for “Worldwide Beautiful” in April shared stories about abuse, homelessness, meeting his long-lost siblings, growing up fatherless, winning school talent shows and disrupting country music with his unapologetic, tatted-up swagger.
Gripping his microphone as the lights dimmed, Brown spit bars on the semi-autobiographical “Learning.” During “For My Daughter,” the family man showed home movies of his daughter, Kingsley Rose and he paid homage to his wife, Katelyn Jae Brown, during “Worship You” and “Good As You.”
Brown also paid his respects to R&B and soul. He performed an acapella medley of Blake Shelton’s “Ol’ Red;” segued into a mashup of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” with Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls;” and played a rap/rock fusion of Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)” with Blackbear’s “Hot Girl Bummer.”
The entertainer slowed things down with “Like a Rodeo” and “Homesick,” which he dedicated to veterans and members of the armed forces. “One Thing Right,” his collaboration with Marshmello, preceded his song “Heaven” which was played against a backdrop of white lighting and twinkling stars. The singer closed the show with his chart-topper “What Ifs.”
The rewarding part about experiencing the Blessed and Free Tour is seeing how Brown uses his platform for his own healing, to promote family, and encourage his young fans to pursue their dreams despite the challenges they face. Despite his injury, he showed love to his second home at the pinnacle of his career.
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