Larry Fleet

One thing that stood out was how much he shared about his songs. Not in an overly scripted way—he told it to us like he was talking to an old friend. He talked about "Working Man," and how he'd written it after a long day pouring concrete, scraped together $50 to record it, and then later down the road got a call from his dad saying he saw someone performing it on American Idol and the kid singing it won that season. That meant a lot to him, seeing others enjoy his songs and giving them an avenue for their own success.

He also talked about how he wrote "Man Made a Bar" one morning and ended up giving it to Morgan Wallen to sing (which ended up being the number 3 song on his 36-song album). That same evening, he wrote "A Life Worth Leaving," which is one of Fleet's top songs. It feels so special as an audience member to be let in on the moments behind the music. When the artist leans in and pulls you in on a sneak peek behind the scenes, you instantly feel more connected to them as an artist and to their songs. You feel like a part of the magic that has been created.

And then "Where I Find God" happened. The room shifted. Fleet paused, looked around, and said, "God sure is with us in here tonight." It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't staged. It was just real. Everyone knew it. The crowd sang that last part back to him, and I have a feeling that as special as that was for each and every one of us in the crowd, it was just as special for Fleet and his crew on stage. The whole room sang together—it gave me chills and genuinely felt like a holy moment. It was a concert memory I will never forget.

When he stepped offstage, the "Lar-ry!" chant came back, louder than the first time. Of course he returned for an encore. At first he came out with just him and his guitar. He shared a few songs, one of them being a beautiful song he used to sing to his daughter called "Having a Girl," which showed us more of Larry's loving heart and warm soul. After that, the band came back smiling like they really were having just as much fun as the crowd. He even had his guitar tech step up for a surprise cover of "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. It was such a small and cool touch, seeing Larry smiling off to the side, letting his tech shine for a minute and enjoying every second of it. And then, just to flex a little, Larry and the band ripped into a killer version of "Nutshell" by Alice in Chains, proving how much range and talent they've got.

That's why this show had such an impact. It was genuinely great music played by people who seemed real and grateful to be playing it. It's pretty special to see someone be amazing at something and have fun doing it—something about it feels good in your soul.

I walked out of the venue knowing that was one of my favorite shows I've ever been to. Chill, talented, and real. No ego anywhere. Just solid music, stories that were real, and a crowd that was all in from the first chant to the last. Joy is contagious, and Fleet sure shared his with each and every one of us.