Tyler Hubbard & Josh Ross
Mystic Lake Amphitheater | Shakopee, MN
Photos & Words By: Rebecca Ackerman | Instagram
Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, MN, combines great music with a gorgeous sunset. The openers get the luxury of a sunset as backlighting, so the crowd gets music and a view. That’s a music lover’s dream in the summer. Fittingly, Josh Ross and Tyler Hubbard were the opening duo you wouldn’t want to miss. On a perfect end-of-summer kind of night, Ross and Hubbard were the perfect openers for Dan + Shay on September 13.
Canadian-born singer Josh Ross took the stage first. The up-and-coming new
voice in country music has already amassed over a billion global streams and had a following of his own at the amphitheater. Ross connected with the crowd by bringing their phones onstage and making eye contact with what seemed like each person he could lock eyes with.
Ross played some of his most well-known songs, such as “Hate How You Look” and “Ain’t Doin’ Jack." Those got the crowd up and excitedly singing. Even from the top of the lawn, people danced and really appreciated his music. He also played his latest single, “Kicked Out Of Bars,” which has already amassed over one million streams on Spotify.
His performance was more on the rock side of country music, and his warm vocals made listening to him incredibly enjoyable and easy. There wasn’t a moment during his set where he lost his momentum, which can sometimes be challenging for an opener. His music has staying power, and there’s much more ahead for him as he continues to write and release music.
The next and final opener for the night was Tyler Hubbard. One part of the Florida Georgia Line duo, Hubbard has an extensive back catalogue to pull from. Throughout the night, he emphasized how important he felt it was to play his most popular hits. After all, he was doing his job as an opener: getting people to sing. He did his job well.
Hubbard started out his set with his solo songs first: “Park,” “902180,” and “Back Then Right Now.” Of course, his solo songs were massive hits with the crowd and got them singing. The visuals behind Hubbard, flashing lyrics on the screen, and his band had as much enthusiasm, if not more, than Hubbard himself.
The night flowed smoothly as Hubbard made his way through his setlist. As promised, he started playing some of his Florida Georgia Line hits. Starting strong with “Meant to Be,” their collaboration with Bebe Rexha, there wasn’t a silent person in the crowd. Hubbard let the crowd sing along with Rexha’s vocals. That song was everywhere back in 2017, so hearing it again really threw me back to who I was then. Additionally, Hubbard covered “You Make It Easy,” which was recorded by Jason Aldean and written by Florida Georgia Line.
Perhaps the most fun of the night was the compilation of a few popular Florida Georgia Line songs. Hubbard was continuing on his mission to get the crowd’s voices warmed up for the night. Hubbard was quite comfortable playing both his solo music and Florida Georgia Line’s music, but it was nice to see the crowd give the same energy regardless of what Hubbard was singing.
Hubbard ended his set with his first single as a solo artist, “5 Foot 9,” and “Dancin’ in the Country.” The joy of “5 Foot 9” was watching partners scream-singing it to one another if the lyrics applied to them. Even at the highest point in the venue, people jumped around unafraid of falling down the hill on the lawn. Their unwavering ability to have fun reflected the energy of the night.
Ross and Hubbard did their jobs and more as openers. It was a can’t-miss and entertaining duo who were each given their time to shine.
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