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Brett Eldredge's Original Nashville Night

Headlining Debut at Ascend Amphitheater Supports St. Jude

Brett Eldredge was a superhero for all his fans at his headlining debut at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater.

Wednesday's (Aug. 23) show had the country crooner hitting the stage with a big smile on his face and delivering a 75-minute set that was heavy on positivity, his hits and selections from his latest self-titled album. The song list included "Castaway," "Super Hero," "Somethin' I'm Good At," "Drunk on Your Love," "Beat of the Music," "Lose My Mind" and an abbreviated cover of Train's "Drops of Jupiter."

Between songs, Eldredge reminisced about his early days in Nashville and all the fun he's had on Lower Broadway.

"This is one of the most beautiful places in the world because you're inspired to create music and write songs that make you want to chase down the next stage in every place that you go," Eldredge said of the city before singing "I Wanna Be That Song." "But this stage is extra special tonight."

Castaway (Official Video) by Brett Eldredge on VEVO.

At one point during his show, Eldredge brought out his furry partner in crime, Edgar, who performed two tricks for the audience. Eldredge put dog treats on Edgar's nose, and the pooch obediently stayed until Eldredge said it was OK to devour them.

The night also featured performances by Chris Janson, Devin Dawson, Michael Ray and Ben Rue.

Right before his concert at Ascend, Janson was a few blocks away at the Ryman Auditorium performing a tribute honoring the late Shel Silverstein at the ACM Honors concert and ceremony. His 10-song set at Ascend played out like a live preview of his upcoming album Everybody, which lands Sept. 22. During a cover of Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah," a song Janson co-wrote with Locash's Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, he showed off his musicality by delivering a metal breakdown on the drum set, which was the first instrument he learned how to play.

Before "Holdin' Her," Janson revealed that when he first moved to Nashville, he lived in his car behind Lower Broadway's Honky Tonk Central for a month.

"I'm a firm believer that I you dream big, you can achieve big," he said onstage.

While they're still considered rising artists, Dawson, Ray and Rue each had the crowd singing along with them like they were already hit stars.

The night was WSIX/Nashville's annual Guitar-B-Que fundraiser benefitting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Before Dawson's set, personality Amy Paige did a live interview with a young cancer survivor and former St. Jude patient named May, who has been in remission for three years.

Ray and Dawson will head out on the road together for 15 dates this fall on Ray's Get To You Tour, launching Oct. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. "Get to You" is the lead single from Ray's forthcoming sophomore album.

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