Top moments from Morgan Wallen's first night at Neyland, from Tony Vitello to Eric Church
With orange everywhere you looked, from the fiery pyrotechnics to the brim of coach Tony Vitello's hat as he welcomed Morgan Wallen to the stage at Neyland Stadium, the Knoxville homecoming show hit a little different for the Gibbs High School graduate on Sept. 20.
“This one of the most special days in my entire life, and I am very glad that you guys chose to spend this evening here with me,” Wallen told the Friday night crowd of roughly 80,000 at Neyland Stadium. “The last time that I was in this stadium, I was watching Tennessee kick Alabama's ass. I can’t really think of a better way to follow it up than to be here tonight playing two sold-out shows this weekend."
It was the first of two nights at the Tennessee football venue for Wallen, the fourth headlining artist to play Neyland Stadium. His Sept. 22 concert will be just the seventh in venue history.
Wallen wasn’t scheduled to play Knoxville during his massive stadium tour, but a Tennessee baseball national championship changed all that. After teasing a special Knoxville celebration, Wallen announced the first show in July before quickly adding the second date "due to overwhelming demand."
During his Neyland Stadium debut, the native East Tennessean performed “Cowgirls,” “I Had Some Help,” “Whiskey Glasses,” “Last Night” and many more fan favorites among his chart-topping hits. He even brought out one very special guest.
Here are some of the best moments from the Sept. 20 show.
Tennessee baseball welcomes Morgan Wallen to Neyland Stadium
Before Wallen opened the show with “Ain’t That Some” and “I Wrote the Book,” the Tennessee baseball team and coach Vitello helped escort him − NCAA championship proudly in hand − through the stadium and onto the field.
Wallen is a huge Tennessee baseball fan and attended Game 2 of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Wallen plays ‘Talkin’ Tennessee’ and other hometown songs
The hometown hero wore a Tennessee Vols hat throughout the entire concert and changed into a Vols jersey for his encore songs. The band also wore Tennessee jerseys, with the drummer opting for a Power T bass drum.
Wallen's typical setlist was modified for the Neyland crowd. Pulling out an oldie, Wallen performed “Talkin’ Tennessee” from his debut album. Plus, a recorded version of “Rocky Top” was played to welcome him back on stage for the encore. The crowd sang along to every word.
Wallen played other songs with Tennessee and Knoxville references, including “The Way I Talk,” “More Than My Hometown,” “Sand in My Boots” and “Whiskey Glasses.”
Morgan Wallen's fiery, synchronized stadium production
Wallen and his band were on fire the entire night, and they had the pyro to back them up. Giant flames spewed from the stage during several songs, and the closing fireworks display rivaled those seen on July 4.
The pulsating, synchronized lights on wristbands handed out to concertgoers took the production to the next level. For each song, the wristbands glowed various colors that matched the stage lights and danced in-sync to the beats. Of course, orange was a popular color throughout the night.
Morgan Wallen reflects on Gibbs and Mamaw Boots
It was clear from the opening moments that this night was personal for Wallen, who honored his alma mater by displaying Gibbs High School flags on a side-stage setup while his band performed on steel bleachers. Wallen talked about his coach and teammates helping him through tough times just before singing "'98 Braves."
“I know that this is probably going to be really hard for you guys to believe, but I was a little bit rowdy in high school as well,” Wallen said, revealing he was almost kicked off the team. “There’s just been a lot of people in my life who have stood up for me when it wasn’t the easiest thing to do."
Later in the night, on the opposite side of the stage, Wallen performed "Chasin' You" in front of a replica home from the "One Thing at a Time" album cover. The actual Sneedville, Tennessee, home belonged to Wallen's great-grandmother, Mamaw Boots.
“She gave me my first cigarette, gave me my first beer. And she handed out a couple of ass whoopings to me, as well, throughout the years,” Wallen said. “I deserved the ass whoopings more than I deserved the beer and cigarettes, that’s for sure.”
Before she died, Wallen would seat Mamaw Boots at the front of his shows so he could see her smiling face.
“I can only think what she’d be looking like tonight if she was down there in the front of the stage with 80-some-thousand people in Knoxville, Tennessee, her hometown,” Wallen said. “I’d say her smile would be at least twice as big.”
Other members of Wallen's family were in attendance, including his parents, sisters, nieces and son, Indigo.
Eric Church delivers a Neyland Stadium surprise
The surprise guest of the night was Eric Church. The country star joined Wallen during a stripped-down B-stage performance near the opposite end zone halfway through the two-hour concert.
Shortly after playing his version of Jason Isbell's "Cover Me Up," Wallen welcomed Church to the stage. The duo performed “Quittin’ Time,” a song co-written by Church from Wallen’s sophomore record, “Dangerous: The Double Album."
Wallen shared that one of the fist concerts he ever saw was Church at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“I decided that day I wanted to sing country music," he said. "So, I wouldn't be here if it wasn’t for you, brother."
The best way to close out a show at Neyland Stadium
Wallen ended the main set with one of his first big hits, “Whiskey Glasses.” But the show wasn’t over. He had to perform the massive crossover hit “Last Night,” as well as "The Way I Talk" for an encore.
In Morgan Wallen's true rowdy fashion, he threw his microphone onstage – all in good fun to end one epic night. After the cloud of firework smoke cleared, the music stopped and the lights came on, Wallen stuck around for several minutes signing autographs on the edge of the stage.
He’ll do it all again at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 22, and Knox News will be there to document the night and what was different between the two shows. Ernest and HARDY once again will open for Wallen on Night 2.
Neyland Stadium setlist for Morgan Wallen's first night in Knoxville
Wallen's setlist for the Sept. 20 show was slightly different from previous shows on the "One Night at a Time" tour. Here's everything he performed Night 1:
“Ain’t That Some”
“I Wrote the Book”
“One Thing at a Time”
“Everything I Love”
“You Proof”
“‘98 braves”
“7 Summers”
“Love Somebody” (Release date: Oct. 18)
“I Had Some Help” (Post Malone cover)
Cover Me Up (Jason Isbell cover)
“Quittin' Time” (with Eric Church)
“Lies Lies Lies”
“Sand in My Boots”
“Up Down” (with HARDY)
“Flower Shops” (with ERNEST)
"Cowgirls" (with ERNEST)
“Chasin' You”
“Talkin' Tennessee”
“Heartless”
“Wasted on You”
“This Bar”
“More Than My Hometown”
“Whiskey Glasses”
Encore
“Rocky Top” (recorded interlude)
“Thinkin’ Bout Me”
“Last Night”
“The Way I Talk”
Bold = Neyland Stadium additions
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Morgan Wallen's Neyland Stadium concert best moments
