Cody Johnson, with Special Guests: Randy Houser & Tyler Booth
Vibrant Arena at the MARK
1201 River Drive
Moline, Illinois, 61265
Thursday, June 15, 2023 @ 7:30 p.m.
CoJo Nation trekked out to the Quad Cities to see Cody Johnson’s Cowboy Country music to the Vibrant Arena in Moline, IL on Thursday, June 15th. Cody Johnson packed the stadium of 9,200 seats with country music fans from all over. Johnson was accompanied by Tyler Booth and Randy Houser.
Tyler Booth put on an amazing show and sang many of his songs, including “Real Real Country,” “Already Got One,” and “Palomino Princess.” Booth worked the stage very well and had the audience engaged from start to finish. It was then time for Randy Houser to take the stage. The crowd sang along as he sang many of his hits such as “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” and “Note to Self.” He moved with ease across the stage and had the audience on their feet, especially when singing his big hit “Like a Cowboy,” where the whole crowd sang along. During his set, he reached out into the audience for a sign made by a fan which said, “Randy Damn Houser.” He connected with the audience through his whole set, which helped get the crowd excited for Johnson to take the stage.
After Houser’s set, it was time for Cody Johnson to perform. Once his silhouette was outlined at the back of the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers. He opened his set with “Let’s Build a Fire” and “Y’all People,” which had the crowd singing along. The crowd continued to sing and dance around when he sang “Dance Her Home” and “Diamond in My Pocket.” He sang two covers that had the crowd singing alone, which was “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks and Dunn and “Long Haired Country Boy” by The Charlie Daniels Band. During Johnson’s performances of “On My Way to You” and “Human,” the crowd lit up the arena with their cell phone lights. Johnson gave a speech about chasing your dreams before he sang his song “Dear Rodeo,” which was written about a past dream he had of being a rodeo cowboy.
Towards the end of his set, Johnson took the time to recognize all of our veterans, firefighters, police officers, and border control. He proceeded to mention that politicians don’t buy our freedom, but these men and women do. The crowd cheered their appreciation to all the people in service. Johnson then went on to say that if you have a disagreement with someone about something, love them anyway because an American soldier before you gave their life so you can have your opinions. The two things that he said he will always stand by until the day he dies is country music and American patriotism. Johnson’s speech had the audience roaring in support of his words.
Johnson’s set was concluded with his song “Me and My Kind” and his No. 1 song “Til You Can’t,” which he won CMT Performance of the Year this past April. His cowboy country brought fans of all ages to his show and had them on their feet the entire night. Cody Johnson is bringing back cowboy country to the country music community, which is something that has been missing. I am excited to see where his career will lead him.
For additional information on these exciting Country musicians, please visit:
Tyler Booth – https://newmusic.tylerboothmusic.com/
Randy Hauser – https://www.randyhouser.com/
Cody Johnson – https://www.codyjohnsonmusic.com/
Vibrant Arena at the MARK – https://www.vibrantarena.com/
Photography and writing by Jaclyn Duske
Jaclyn Duske is a senior Art & Design major focusing on graphic design and photography. Duske has had her concert photography featured on The Today Show, KTLA, and Countrynow.com. In her spare time, Jaclyn works with an equestrian therapy centre just south of Chicago.
