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It’s hard to write an unbiased review of an Aaron Lewis show for me. I’ve been a Staind fan for years and his country band delivers the same thing Staind does … bold, unapologetic, kick ass music. And that’s exactly what we got.
The show opener was legendary songwriter Bobby Pinson. He’s got a list of hits way too long to list but he managed to play several of them for us and told some great stories in-between. He could easily be a stand up comedian and had the crowd in stitches with almost every anecdote.
From the moment the lights dimmed, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a typical night at the Mother Church. The show started with the National Anthem, along with a recording of Donald Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance — a moment that immediately set the tone and had the crowd on its feet. Whether you came for the music, the message, or both, Lewis made it clear he was planting his flag.
When he walked onstage, acoustic guitar in hand, the energy shifted from patriotic to stripped-down storytelling. He kicked things off with “It Keeps on Workin’” and rolled straight into “God and Guns,” his gritty vocal filling the historic wooden pews with conviction. Lewis has always had a voice built for tension — that gravel-and-glass tone that carries both defiance and vulnerability — and in a room like the Ryman, it hits differently.
Big Machine founder, Scott Borchetta, was spotted in the crowd cheering for Lewis.
Lewis shared that he’s officially quit smoking — and, in a move that drew both laughs and applause, admitted that whiskey made him want to smoke, so he quit drinking too. There was something raw and relatable about that confession. No bravado. No rock-star posturing. Just a guy owning his battles in real time.
The set list was mostly from his country catalog but he did do a couple Staind songs for us hard core fans. He opened with “It Keeps Working” and then went right into “God and Guns.” “Right Here” and the haunting “It’s Been Awhile” reminded everyone of where he came from, while “Granddaddy’s Gun,” “The Road,” and “That Ain’t Country” reaffirmed that whether it’s country or hard rock, Aaron is right at home. His cover of Jamey Johnson’s “Keeping Up With the Jonesin’” felt right at home as well, and “Duct Tape and Baling Wire” added a little outlaw grit to the mix.
Highlights for me included “Sinner” — which seemed to echo through the rafters with a kind of Sunday-morning intensity — and “State Lines,” delivered with a storyteller’s patience and punch. The encore turned the temperature up again, closing with the fiery run of “Give My Country Back,” “Country Boy,” and “Am I the Only One,” songs that have become rallying cries for much of his fan base.
Aaron Lewis doesn’t phone it in. He doesn’t soften edges to fit the room — even a room as historic as the Ryman. What he delivered last Friday was honest, rough around the edges, and completely committed. In a town built on songs and stories, that kind of conviction still counts for something. What a great show! He reassured the crowd that we were in a safe place and more importantly it was clear, he is not the only one!
–Jerry Holthouse
SET LIST:
It Keeps on Workin’
God and Guns
Too High For This
Play Video
Forever
Right Here
(Staind cover)
Keeping Up With the Jonesin’
(Jamey Johnson cover)
State Lines
(Aaron Lewis song)
Vicious Circles
(Aaron Lewis song)
Granddaddy’s Gun
(Aaron Lewis song)
Duct Tape and Bailing Wire
(Charley Jenkins cover)
The Road
(Aaron Lewis song)
Sinner
(Aaron Lewis song)
That Ain’t Country
(Aaron Lewis song)
It’s Been Awhile
(Staind cover)
Encore:
Give My Country Back
(Aaron Lewis song)
Can’t Take Back
(Aaron Lewis song)
Country Boy
(Aaron Lewis song)
Am I the Only One
(Aaron Lewis song)
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