The first thing that hits you tonight is that Dasha isn’t hiding her ambition — or her talent. Her set begins with a violin, a huge sign behind her reads “Dashville”, and before long she’s declaring her love for Birmingham — and she even pronounces it properly. It’s playful, but there’s a confidence here too.
“Like It Like That” underlines the pop crossover that has made her such a talking point, and when she straps on a guitar herself, she more than holds her own. “Way Too Drunk” — a kind of homage to a girls’ night out — is both cheeky and classy, and when she plays “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” (the song she calls “the one that suddenly changed my life”) it’s easy to see why she’s making waves
The songs are sharp, modern, and performed with an energy that suggests this won’t be Dasha’s last trip to the big stages.
Right in the middle of his set, Kane Brown plays “Haunted”, a song written when he was, as he tells us, “in a dark place.”
There’s a real catharsis in it — and it’s a reminder of just how far he’s come since the last time he was in Birmingham. Back on January 20th, 2023, he played the O2 Academy down the road and promised that one day he’d come back and play an arena show. Well, he’s done exactly that — and then some.
This is a full-on arena production. Explosions, fire, pyro — the kind of spectacle that any rock band would be proud of. He even drops in a bit of “Crazy Train,” maybe because Ozzy’s from Birmingham, maybe just ’cos he can.
From there, it’s big tune after big tune. “Like I Love Country Music” turns the room into a mass singalong. “Lose It” mixes his instincts perfectly.
“Be Like That” becomes a huge ballad, complete with a soaring guitar solo. And when he plays “Homesick,” perched high up on the scaffolding above the stage, just him and a piano, it’s a man presiding over his flock.
There’s a warmth too — “Heaven” feels like a contented exhale — and when he talks about “Backseat Driver,” he calls it “the one that started it all” before adding “let’s get personal,” and that’s exactly what he does.
He promises to “bring the energy back” with “One Mississippi”, and he’s true to his word — the Bon Jovi-style drums from 1988 kick in, and suddenly the place feels like a stadium in New Jersey.
He calls his wife in for “Thank God,” with the crowd taking over the chorus in something of a first. Then he brings Dasha and Dylan Schneider back onstage — along with a couple of Ryder Cup golfers (and MV neither knows nor cares who they are) — for “Famous Friends.” It’s chaos, but it works, and it’s all part of the charm.
When he does “Bury Me In Georgia” or “One Thing Right,” the band lean hard into their rock side, heavier and grittier than the studio versions.
He gets no encore bonus points but ends with his big pop tune “Miles On It” — and the crowd reaction really stands out tonight.
There are loads of young kids here — some barely out of primary school — singing every word, knowing every hook. Kane Brown might just be the entry drug for the next generation of country fans, and you get the feeling the boy wgo once left American Idol as he didn’t want to be in a boy band knows it too.
He’s made good on his promise. Two years ago, he dreamed of headlining an arena in the UK like he doesbavn home. Tonight, with every pyro blast and heartfelt lyric, he proves he belongs here.
And maybe that’s the point — as Billy Joel once said, “It’s still rock and roll to me.” Kane Brown just happens to do it with a country, R&B, and pop twang.
