Cole Swindell was no stranger to country music when his self-titled debut album went platinum in 2014, just as he was no stranger to a full auditorium at Kewadin Casinos in Sault Ste. Marie late Friday evening.
“It was a sellout show,” Kewadin Casinos Entertainment Manager Jared Lucas said of the 2,500 tickets sold. "We started selling six weeks ago and didn't have a lot of time. Normally, we would like a minimum of two to three months to sell a show. This was a sellout, so that doesn't normally happen.”
Fans out of sister city Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. drove across the border to join in on the fun, including married couple Angelisa Mills and Mario Brigas.
“It's raw and upbeat,” said Brigas. “His stage presence is amazing. The crowd was screaming and yelling the whole way through.”
A video from the concert is attached here:
Mills said everyone must check out Swindell’s opening act.
“The cover band was very good,” Brigas agreed. “People missed out on the cover band. If you have a chance to check out that cover band, don't miss out.”
The Difference singer Tyler Rich was certainly a hit among fans, many just happy to be out of the house again.
“We haven't seen him in concert since pre-COVID,” said Barbara Elliott, who attended Friday's show with her son and his girlfriend.
Swaying to "Chillin' It" near the back of the jam packed standing auditorium was Jill Jorgensen, whose three daughters were congregated a little closer to stage.
“I brought the girls here before college starts,” she said with a smile. “It's just great seeing everyone from town and all those we haven't seen in a long time. This is our first real concert here. It was nice because the tickets were $65. It was affordable.”
Jorgensen said her favorite Swindell song was You Should Be Here, reminding her of a friend who passed away.
In a Swindell Vision episode uploaded to YouTube, the singer/songwriter said he got his big break after befriending Luke Bryan during a show performed in Statesboro, GA. Both Georgia Southern University alumni, they immediately formed a lasting connection on the front porch steps of Sigma Chi fraternity house.
Swindell was playing in local bars, while Bryan was playing on stages nationwide. Upon graduation, the marketing major moved to Nashville where he sold merchandise for his new friend. He wrote songs in his free time.
Scotty McCreery came out with the songwriter’s first hit, Water Tower Town. Next came Craig Campbell with Outta My Head, followed by Thomas Rhett‘s Get Me Some of That.
Bryan turned a few more of Swindell’s songs into hits, such as Just a Sip, Beer in the Headlights, Roller Coaster, and Out Like That.
Bryan even took Swindell on tour as his opening act, snagging him his own record deal.
Since the 2014 release of his self-titled debut, Swindell has taken numerous songs to Top 5 on country radio.
He attended the 49th Academy of Country Music Awards (AMC) to be named New Artist of the Year 2014.
In 2019, Swindell’s Break Up in the End was nominated for AMC’s Best Country Song and Song of the Year.
Fast forwarding to last Friday night, the crowd’s favorite was She Had Me at Heads Carolina. Others included You Should Be Here, Middle of a Memory, and Single Saturday Night.
