Like many in my generation, I first knew Alex Warren as a familiar face from social media. But after his performance of “Ordinary” at the 2026 Grammy Awards he became more than an internet personality to me — he became an artist I knew I had to see live. To close out Memorial Day weekend, I joined thousands of fans at Bridgestone Arena, where Warren transformed grief into hope and created a night centered on gratitude, family and holding those you love close. 

This show marked a full circle moment for the singer, who noted throughout the show that he had played for 1,800 people in Nashville just last year. This time, he stood in the middle of one of the city’s biggest venues, somehow making an arena feel personal.  

“It’s really cool that it’s my first time stepping into my hometown arena, and I get to play it,” Warren said during the concert.  

The night began with Nat and Alex Wolff, the dynamic brother duo whose set leaned into a rock-oriented sound. Backed by a band, the two performed with clear chemistry; one of the most emotional parts of their set came when they introduced a song about their father’s battle with cancer. They grounded the performance in the same kind of family centered vulnerability that would define the rest of the night. 

Between sets, the arena buzzed with anticipation. Fans sang along to songs like “Teenage Dirtbag,” “Unwritten” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” while phone flashlights flickered sporadically across the stadium.  

Before Warren took the stage, white drapes covered the set as home videos of him as a child played across them. Clips from Warren’s first birthday, him singing during childhood and a silly moment of him playing a guitar appeared over gentle piano notes, immediately setting a nostalgic tone. As the music began, silhouettes of his band appeared, finally revealing Warren under bold flashing lights.

From the beginning, the show felt intentionally built around the people surrounding him. His band was positioned across layered platforms, making the performance feel full and lively without clutter. Warren opened with vocal power that immediately filled the arena. During “The Outside,” he led the crowd in a call-and-response on the bridge, repeating “From the outside, can you help me? / Help me out, help me out” as fans echoed him back. A photo of his family appeared behind him near the end of the song, bringing emotional weight to the moment.

Much of the night balanced sadness with humor — a contrast Warren handled with surprising ease. Warren thanked the audience saying, “it is Memorial Day, and the fact that you guys chose to spend the night with me means so much.” He then jokingly acknowledged his allergic reaction from earlier in the day, telling the audience to ignore it if he yelped a little because he had taken “enough drugs to kill a horse.” Shortly after, Warren sang songs like “Before You Leave Me” and “You’ll Be Alright, Kid” with a silky voice that made Bridgestone feel still. 

Warren’s guitars became part of his storytelling: one was decorated with sunflowers, another with koi fish and a third featured multicolored waves with two birds. Warren played a video of his wife, Kouvr Annon, painting the guitar as a surprise for him. When Warren appeared alone on a center platform with the guitar from the video, his band gradually joined him one by one, making the arena feel more like a campfire gathering instead of a polished production.  

The emotional core of the night came when Warren asked if he could “get depressing for a second.” He spoke about losing his father at age 9, being bullied as a child and later losing his mother, explaining that the world kept spinning while his own life felt like it had stopped. He introduced the unreleased song “Same Stars” which talks about grief and asked anyone who has lost someone to raise their hands and look around. 

Warren carried that same tenderness into “Eternity,” which he introduced by saying that every night he tries to sing as loudly as he can in hopes that his parents can hear him. He invited the audience to sing to anyone watching over them if they had lost someone, turning the arena into a shared space for grief rather than a place to escape it. Later, after reading signs from fans who had lost parents, Warren shared a simple sentiment, but one that captured the heart of the show. 

 “People die twice: once when they pass away and again when people stop telling their stories,” Warren said. 

 The night still had plenty of lighter points. At one point, Warren got a headcount of how many kids were in the audience before apologizing for using profanity. 

 “Listen, you should not repeat after me because I didn’t graduate high school, Santa skips over my house, and I also have dead parents,” Warren said.  

It was unexpected, comical, self-deprecating and somehow completely in line with the emotional whiplash that made the night so human. 

After introducing each member of his band through individual spotlights and impressive solos, Warren moved into more upbeat moments. During “Carry You Home,” bold yellow lyrics appeared across the back screen, letting the entire crowd scream the chorus together. He followed with “Save You a Seat,” introduced by a sweet, tape-recorded clip of his father, which seemed to bring Warren close to tears as he played harmonica. 

“I’m just talking to the tape recorder because that’s what daddies do,” the recording of Warren’s dad said.

By the time “Fever Dream” began, the arena had fully shifted into celebration. A large disco ball descended over the stage, and rainbow lights filled the room; nearly everyone was on their feet dancing. Warren invited a fan, Kaitlyn, to press the confetti button on the beat drop. 

When the curtain dropped at the end of the song, it was obvious the night was not over. For nearly three minutes, the crowd screamed for an encore before Warren returned with a surprise guest: Luke Combs. The country star rose from beneath the stage to join Warren for “Ordinary,” sending Bridgestone into a frenzy. It was the kind of Nashville-specific surprise that perfectly wrapped up Monday night. 

White confetti burst over the crowd as Warren and Combs performed together, creating a final moment that felt both massive and deeply personal. For Warren, whose career has moved from social media star to arena headliner, the performance marked just how far his storytelling has carried him. 

Warren made Bridgestone Arena feel like a family gathering, a therapy session and a celebration all at once. Throughout the night, I sat by a mother and her sweet 10-year-old daughter, who helped me by whispering the name of each song in my ear. They had traveled from New York just for the show, reminding me of the wide reach Warren’s music has built. His “Finding Family on the Road” tour did not just showcase his rise as a performer; it showed exactly why so many fans have found comfort in him and his hopeful messages.