As I mentioned in my recipe column earlier this week, I had to have oral surgery last week. As such, I spent a majority of the week recuperating. However, come Thursday, I was going a bit stir crazy.

I had spent almost an entire week without so much as leaving the house. I had to get out of the house for a bit.

I was given tickets to a concert in Tupelo at the Cadence Bank Arena, so I decided to go and my youngest brother tagged along and drove (just to be safe).

We were going to see what promised to be a stacked event featuring country superstar Thomas Rhett with guests Cole Swindell and Nate Smith.

I am not a huge country fan at all. I listen to the occasional Alan Jackson song and that’s about it.

However, in high school I was a decent country fan. Coincidentally, the time I was in high school coincided with both Rhett and Swindell’s debut on the music scene, so I was familiar with both of them and knew a couple of their songs.

My brother is a country fan, so he was a clear choice as a guest.

I’ve been to a few concerts in the last few years, and my favorite is still and probably always will be seeing Bob Seger on his farewell tour in 2019. Going to shows is a good stress reliever for me, and this was no different.

We made it to the arena, and after locating the correct box office window with will call, we made our way into the venue.

This was far from my first time at the Cadence Bank Arena. My elementary school used to attend Disney on Ice every year back when it was the BancorpSouth Arena.

I even saw Monster Jam there one time.

However, this was the first time I had been to the arena since 2021. That year, I saw two concerts there. I saw Alice Cooper in October and Foreigner in November.

Coming back, it was just the same as I remembered it. Except this time, there was a haze in the air I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the source of.

We stopped by the merchandise table and my brother got himself a tshirt and we set about finding our seats.

When we entered the concert area, the source of the haze became apparent: fog machines.

It definitely set the stage for the show we were going to see.

We nestled in our almost stage-side seats and anxiously awaited the beginning.

Soon, Smith, the opening act, came out on stage.

I was unfamiliar with his work, but I was thoroughly impressed with his performance. He not only had a great voice, but he interacted with the audience and really humanized himself. This theme would carry over throughout all three performances.

Swindell was next up. He performed several of his hits I was familiar with such as “Single Saturday Night,” “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” and “You Should Be Here.”

I really enjoyed his crowd work as well. He projected an energy into the crowd that swelled with each song, getting them good and riled up for the headliner.

I knew it would be a good show, but when Rhett appeared, slowly rising up on a platform from a hole in the stage, I instantly felt a sense of excitement at the prospect.

He opened with “Vacation,” a song I will admit I was not familiar with.

However, when he began “Crash and Burn,” he was venturing into my territory.

I also recognized other hits such as “Make Me Wanna” and “Die a Happy Man.”

What was unexpected, and honestly the most fun for me, was when Rhett began playing a medley of tunes from each decade beginning with the 50s.

He showcased his love of music from all ages and I was intimately familiar with almost all of them.

My favorite was the 90s, however, where he performed a rendition of “3am” by Matchbox 20. Matchbox 20 is one of my favorite bands, and to hear one of their hits unexpectedly like that sent a shiver down my spine (a good one though).

The confetti shower at the end of the show was also something to behold. I’ve been to a fair deal of concerts, but this was the first time I have been close enough to be a part of the confetti shower. It really is something else.

But all in all, I had a great time and so did my brother.