HARDY, Lainey Wilson and Dylan Marlow
Peoria Civic Center
201 SW Jefferson Ave, Peoria, Illinois 61602
Friday, December 1st, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
With the sun setting on the horizon, fans gathered at the Peoria Civic Center awaiting the start of HARDY’s sold-out performance. The crowds made their way to their seats in anticipation for a night of music from Dylan Marlowe, Lainey Wilson, and HARDY.
Dylan Marlowe opened the show with a performance to warm up the crowd for the night ahead. Marlowe sang some of his songs including “All About It” and “Why’d We Break Up Again.” The Georgia native is a new up-and-coming artist in the Nashville scene and a singer-songwriter duo. Marlowe received his first No. 1 hit as a songwriter with Jon Pardi’s “Last Night Lonely” and has previously toured with Cole Swindell earlier this year.
Fans grew loud as it was time for Lainey Wilson to take the stage. She worked every aspect of the stage and kept the fans engaged during her whole set. Wilson’s stage presence was top tier and she spent time signing autographs and talking with fans in the crowd. “Never Say Never,” “Heart Like a Truck,” “Things a Man Oughta Know,” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” were just a few of the songs that were on her setlist. Wilson has had an incredible year so far, with 9 nominations at the 2023 CMA Awards and 6 nominations at the 2023 ACM Awards. So far this year, Wilson has won 9 awards between the 2 shows, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year. With 2024 approaching quickly, Wilson has been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, which is a great start for the year to come.
The lights dimmed and the crowd erupted in cheers waiting for HARDY to take the stage. HARDY came onto the stage with high impact and energetically maneuvered well. The fans were engaged the whole time and sang along to each song he performed. The stage effects were different than what would normally be seen at a country concert, with flashing lights, smoke, and fire. With HARDY’s rock influences throughout his music, the whole ambiance of the show fit well. Many of his hits were sung throughout the night including “One Beer,” “Give Heaven Some Hell,” “Truck Bed”, and “Wait in the Truck,” where Lainey Wilson was brought back to the stage to perform the song she and HARDY recorded as a duo. HARDY is a country music singer-songwriter who has written songs for Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, and Morgan Wallen. Throughout his career, HARDY has had 12 nominations for his own song and songs he has co-written. He won the 2022 ACM Songwriter of the Year award, which was his first ACM Award. HARDY was nominated for many awards at the 2023 ACA Awards, he took home three, including Artist-Songwriter of the Year. In addition, HARDY took home 2 CMA Awards with Lainey Wilson including Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year.
With the different genres of country music within this performance, the crowd, which consisted of fans of all ages, stayed engaged and on their feet the whole night, starting their weekends on a very high note.
For additional information on these artists, the photography of Jaclyn Duske, and events happening at the Peoria Civic Center, please check out:
Peoria Civic Center – https://www.peoriaciviccenter.com
HARDY – https://hardyofficial.com/quittour/
Lainey Wilson – https://laineywilson.com
Dylan Marlow – https://www.dylanmarloweofficial.com
Jaclyn Duske Photography – http://jaclynduskephotography.com
Additional images from the Friday, December 1, 2024 show at the Peoria Civic Center:
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.
