Country artist Ashley McBryde performed at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center Friday night. McBryde was accompanied by Will Jones, who opened the show. 

McBryde won her first Grammy Award in 2023 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance of “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Carly Pearce. McBryde has won other awards with the CMA and ACM. 

Jones got the crowd excited. They were hooting and hollering in between silent moments and clapping during some of his songs. The country spirit was in the air when Jones asked the crowd, “How many country folks do I got in the crowd tonight?” 

During a 20-minute intermission, Jones went to sell merch at his stand to meet some of his fans. Cheering could be heard from those who quickly left to go meet him before McBryde went onstage. 

McBryde made a grand entrance, and the crowd was roaring. The first few rows of people stood for nearly the entire show. McBryde introduced the song “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs” by telling the story that when making this song they noticed “an ingredient missing,” which was the violin. 

“Brenda Put Your Bra On” was played after a more upbeat song. A backstage member threw a bra at McBryde for her to put on for the duration of the song, earning laughter from the crowd. 

Throughout the show, McBryde expressed how important it is to stay creative and to be who you are.

McBryde told a story about her playing with her dad’s guitar as a kid and almost breaking it after she tripped over a box of ammo before she played, “Bible and A .44.” The song is dedicated to her father and his guitar, holding onto his memory. 

McBride sang, “And he left it to me like he said he would / And if you ask me why it sounds so good / It’s cause I’m holding more than strings and wood.” 

Periodically, fans would walk down the center aisle all the way to the front to get a picture with McBryde.

The stage lights were warm colors that made the whole ambience of the show more visually appealing. The audience gave McBryde a standing ovation at the end. 

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