If you avoided the skyline, paying attention only to the cowboy boots adorning the feet of practically every person trampling across the grounds leading to the venue on this warm summer evening, you would be forgiven for believing that the scene was unfolding somewhere south of the Ohio River. A quick glance to the skyscrapers in the east or to the brightly lit marquee above the venue itself, however, and you would soon realize that the setting was Chicago and that the artist creating the fervor transcends any imaginary boundaries around which country music has traditionally been defined.
Tyler Childers is a phenomenon, garnering new fans each year at a remarkable clip. In Chicago alone, Childers moved in ten short months from the Salt Shed Fairgrounds, a 5,000-person outdoor venue, to the United Center, a 23,500-person indoor arena. Yet, even the latter venue could barely contain his magic. Childers is a captivating live performer, capable of pulling his fans closer to him with each song rather than getting lost in the expanse of the larger arena.
At the United Center, Childers pulled heavily from four of the five studio albums that he released since 2017, namely Purgatory (2017), Country Squire (2019), Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? (2022) and Rustin’ in the Rain (2023). He opened the evening with a bang, busting open the barn doors with a raucous “Whitehouse Road” from Purgatory, followed by “Country Squire,” “I Swear (to God),” and “Creeker.” Midway through his first set, Childers treated the fans to “All Your’n,” his Grammy-nominated hit from Country Squire before eventually introducing his band over the sound of “Sirius,” the Alan Parsons song used for years to introduce the Chicago Bulls’ starting lineup at the very same United Center.
At the midpoint of the evening, Childers played an intimate solo set, performing “Lady May,” “Nose on the Grindstone,” and “Follow You to Virgie.” His band then returned for the final stampede, closing the evening with “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?,” “Honky Tonk Flame,” “Way of the Triune God,” “House Fire,” “Universal Sound,” and “Heart You’ve Been Tendin’.” The full setlist is below.
Despite the two-hour set, I couldn’t get enough. Few artists have me clamoring to check upcoming tour dates before the show is even over. Childers is one of them. He is an outstanding artist who elevates rather than merely replicates his studio recordings for a live audience. Catch him while you can. His current tour continues through August before closing the year at Bourbon & Beyond and Country Calling Festival. For full tour dates, check his website here.
All images: © Derek Smith / High Voltage Concert Photography for American Blues Scene
