Although I frequent many of Nashville’s live music venues, I haven’t had many chances to attend shows at Ascend Amphitheater. However, now that I get to enjoy Nashville during warmer weather, I want to see as many shows as possible at the venue. Not only did I choose a great show to attend, but I was also blessed with perfect weather. Earlier in the day, the weather was hot and muggy, but it cooled down just in time for Blu DeTiger to take the stage.
DeTiger opened with her song “Crash Course,” which got many of the seated fans up on their feet to dance and sing along. She continued with my personal favorite, “Hot Crush Lover,” and many other hits. She experienced some sound technical difficulties during the set but handled them with ease and laughter. Midway through the set, DeTiger took the time to introduce her band, which included her brother Rex DeTiger on the drums and Horace Bray on guitar.
The final two songs of the set were “Figure It Out” and “Vintage,” DeTiger’s most famous song. Before leaving the stage, DeTiger thanked the crowd and held up a heart with her hands.
Fans anxiously awaited Charlie Puth to take the stage after DeTiger left and were ecstatic when he appeared just after 9:30 p.m. CST. However, unlike most other artists, Puth didn’t immediately begin to sing when he walked on stage. Instead, he told the audience a story that led into his opening song, “Charlie Be Quiet!” He continued with “No More Drama,” another song from his new album “CHARLIE,” which most of the setlist centered around.
Throughout the set, Puth continued to explain how he came up with the lyrics and melodies for his songs. He also sang classics throughout the night for the fans who were not as up to date on the newest album, including “Attention,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and “Done For Me.” He also played many covers throughout the set, including “Slow Motion” by Trey Songz and “Stay” by The Kid LAROI — both of which Puth helped write. My favorite cover Puth incorporated into the set was a snippet of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” in the middle of his song, “When You’re Sad I’m Sad.”
After Puth’s final song, he thanked everyone for coming, noting how important it was to him and his band. He left the stage and fans quickly began chanting Puth’s name, so he ran back to sing his hit, “One Call Away.” He thanked everyone again but soon ran back on for a second encore to sing “See You Again,” which I will admit brought me to tears. Despite ending the night crying, seeing Puth’s incredible performance made me hopeful I will see him again soon.
