Hunter Hayes’ Red Sky Tour Brings Country to NYC.
Shot and written by Shauna Hilferty
May 22nd, 2023
New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theater
Fans of all shapes and sizes flooded the floor and upstairs seats on Monday, May 22 to see pop country’s favorite heartthrob – Hunter Hayes. Bringing a much-needed early dose of summer, Hayes reminded crowds of his roots with old favorites from Encore an album that undoubtedly skyrocketed his career while including a number of tracks from Red Sky, his most recent project.
He kicked the night off with an up-tempo and even rockier version of “High Tide,” followed by “About A Boy,” two songs from Red Sky that got people up and dancing as soon they began. Throwing in early classics, “Somebody’s Heartbreak” and “Still Fallin” made their way into the first half of the setlist as well.
Being Hayes’ first tour back since before the pandemic, his thankfulness that Gramercy was filled to the brim was more than evident. His gratitude didn’t stop there. After introducing his incredibly talented guitarist Alex Flagstad and killer drummer, each got over 3 minutes to showcase their talents with a solo. This is something audiences of Springsteen may be used to, but as crowds get younger and attention spans get shorter, musician solos are few and far between.
Red Sky comes twelve years after Encore and four years after Wild Blue, Part I. Encore houses songs that put Hunter Hayes on not only country billboards but nationally, quickly making him a household name, most notably with his single “Wanted.” Yet, with over a decade of life later, it is clear that Hayes grew up, and so did his music. There is a newfound sense of self that the album houses, a sense of self-love for grown-ups that is rarely mentioned in most country songs. Even during his New York performance, Hayes acknowledged his recent growth and was more than thankful for the lovestruck album that skyrocketed his career.
An ode to OG fans, the latter half of the 26-song setlist included even more from Encore and even some from Hayes’ 2019 project Wild Blue. Most of the songs towards the end of the set included epic guitar solos from Hayes as well as scattered piano performances, casually reminding the audience that these are only two of the thirty instruments he mastered.
Catch Hunter Hayes on the rest of his Red Sky Tour, with support from Loren Grey. Find tickets for the remaining dates here and my personal favorites here!
