When junior Whitney Cravens received a text from her dad stating that he had bought her tickets, she was more than excited to read who they were for: Jason Aldean. She had been waiting for the opportunity to see him in concert and finally the day had arrived.
Aldean comes to Jesse Hall April 26 for his ‘Night Train’ tour. The show is his fourth in Columbia, allowing another chance for local fans to see him in concert and to enjoy his music.
“I’m super excited. I love Jason Aldean and I hear he has great shows,” Cravens said. “He’s super entertaining, and I love country concerts because they’re a lot of fun. And when the crowd gets involved, the concert is always better. … I know tons of Jason Aldean’s songs, so I can’t wait to hear them live.”
Aldean’s tour includes several of his more popular songs, such as “Dirt Road Anthem” and “Big Green Tractor,” as well as some of his less well known, like “Johnny Cash” and “Take a Little Ride.” The tour also includes two opening acts: Jake Owen, known for his song “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” and Thomas Rhett, known for his song “Something To Do With My Hands.” They both have recently become popular in the country music scene.
Born in 1977, Aldean began playing country music at the age of 14 and in 1998 signed with Warner-Chapell Publishing for songwriting. When his contract was almost up, he signed with an independant label, Broken Bow Records, leading to the release of his first album, Jason Aldean, in 2005. His next album Relentless came out in 2007, featuring the song “Johnny Cash”, and following was his album Wide Open which led to success in the country music industry. The album featured songs such as “She’s Country,” “Crazy Town,” and “Big Green Tractor.” His next album, released in 2010, titled My Kinda Party, had more success than the last album and included titles such as “Dirt Road Anthem” and “Fly Over States.” His most recent album, Night Train, was released in 2012.
With his tour coming to Columbia, many RBHS students are anticipating an amazing concert. Cravens has listened to Aldean since one of his first album releases and enjoys his story as much as his music.
“I just love Jason Aldean, and unlike Luke Bryan who kind of got popular overnight, I’ve been listening to Jason since he first came out,” Cravens said. “His music is really catchy and just good country music. He can have real upbeat party songs and also those slow love ballads, and all of it is so good.”
Aldean’s setlist includes the variation of both slow and energy-filled songs, meant to engage fans in the concert atmostphere. Concerts provide a getaway and a place to just have fun, said junior Ashley Reichert. She enjoys the carefree aire and the entire concert experience.
“Dancing and singing along [are the most fun because],” Reichert said, “… you can sing as loud as you want, and it really doesn’t matter if you suck because no one can really hear you anyways.”
Country music makes an impact on each person who listens and it has definitely made a good impression on Cravens as she continues to enjoy the meaning of each song.  She said that the country music style allows for a story to be told from the artists, paired up with a catchy tune.
Country music “is hardly ever auto tuned, and it’s just singers voices and their true music and style,” Cravens said. “It doesn’t try to distort and artists voice to make it catchier and it’s just regular people singing and having a good time while doing it, and thats when it’s good music.”
The ‘Night Train’ tour venue, being at Jesse Hall, will allow Columbia to host another big artist and many fans to have a concert experience. Cravens said she loves the atmosphere of a concert and Aldean’s concert is no doubt going to include an “up-beat, party” feel with his style of music and the energy to get the fans involved.
“Everyone is just so happy and into the music,” Cravens said. “People just want to have a good time and the artists are so willing to entertain the crowd to ensure that people have the time of their lives that they came there for.”

By Alyssa Piecko