Scotty McCreery said he walked around Athens on Thursday before performing to a large crowd of country music fans in the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium at 8 p.m.
“I tried to sneak into one of the big (lecture halls), but they wouldn’t let me in because it was full,” he said.
The American Idol winner turned country star played a full set of tunes. He came out with his song “Now” and performed his hits, such as “The Trouble With Girls,” “See You Tonight” and “Feelin’ It.”
Riley Ennis, a freshman studying pre-nursing said her favorite performance was of McCreery’s hit single, “I Love You This Big.”
“That’s the song that absolutely made me love him,” Ennis said.
McCreery performed a song that has not yet been released titled “Five More Minutes,” which was written shortly after his grandfather died.
“It’s a song I think everyone can relate to,” McCreery said.
When McCreery finished performing the song, all of MemAud gave him a standing ovation and a round of applause.
Kristin Berry, from Williamstown, West Virginia, said the real life connection to “Five More Minutes” made the performance stand out. She added that she liked McCreery’s live sound.
“A lot of music in general, the artist sounds different on the radio, but he sounded exactly the same” Berry said.
McCreery strayed from his country roots and sang two songs he performed for his preliminary auditions on American Idol. He sang an a cappella version of Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” and a cover of John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.”
McCreery performed a “good, old-fashioned, country music” medley, which, he said, he likes to perform at most of his tour stops. The medley included music from Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson and Alabama.
McCreery’s opening act, Jana Kramer, performed for the first hour of the concert, and tackled her own medley of songs from Katy Perry, Pink and Martina McBride. She also covered Charlie Puth’s “One Call Away.”
Kramer was recently casted for Dancing with the Stars season 23, and her professional dancing partner, Gleb Savchenko, made an appearance on stage.
“She’s going to win this season of Dancing with the Stars, season 23,” Savchenko said.
Kramer performed her top hits — “Why Ya Wanna,” “Whiskey” and her new single “Circles.”
After singing a few songs, Kramer looked to the crowd and asked, “Where are the single guys in here?”
One guy, Trenton Fought, from Little Hocking, raised his hand and she singled him out.
“Maybe she thought I was good looking or something,” Fought said.
Kramer sang the song “Don’t Touch My Radio” to Fought and took pictures with him.
Fought said he is a fan of Kramer’s and she is the reason he came to the concert.
“Oh my god, she’s perfect,” Fought said. “She definitely knows how to work a stage and she’s gorgeous.”
Before the night ended, McCreery came out for an encore song, “Something More.”
“I’ll see you all next time,” McCreery said. “I hope you enjoyed yourself.”
