On Sept. 5, Old Dominion traveled to Uncasville for their “How Good Is That” tour alongside openers Redferrin and ERNEST.
This is not Old Dominion’s first time playing the Mohegan Sun Arena, as they made evident during the show. This show was in the middle of the United States leg of their tour, as they are set to leave the country soon.
Redferrin brought the energy as the first opener, playing some of his biggest hits and staying to sign posters and memorabilia after.
ERNEST, who has made quite a name for himself in the country music scene as both a singer and a songwriter, played a great set. Doing mostly covers, ERNEST played only six of his songs. He sang two songs from Toby Keith, a legend of the genre who has further cemented that legacy after his passing.
He also covered Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night.” He even riffed in the middle of his set, playing snippets of popular songs he has written. Some of those included “Wasted on You” by Morgan Wallen, “Son Of A Sinner” by Jelly Roll and “Big, Big Plans” by Chris Lane.
Before finishing with his biggest hit, “Flower Shops,” ERNEST covered “I Had Some Help,” a song he helped write that became one of the biggest songs of 2024.
Old Dominion was the artist everyone came for, though, and they put on an excellent show. Their entire tour has been rooted in tradition, including what they called “The Couch” as well as having a segment dedicated to fan suggestions.
Throughout the show, members of the band chose people from the audience to sit on “The Couch,” which they had stationed on the left side of the stage. They chose people from the pit and the back of the venue. Those people would join the band on stage, sit on the couch, and have a front row seat to the action.
They also played a few song requests from fans, including “Me Most Nights” and “Shoe Shopping,” the former coming off their new album “Barbara.”
Of course, they played all of their hits, like “One Man Band,” “Written In The Sand,” and “Memory Lane,” as well as songs from “Barbara.”
My favorite part of the show was how carefree they made it seem. The lead singer frequently told the audience to “forget their homelife” for a while and enjoy a night of fun, mood-elevating music. And that is exactly how it went. Everyone sang along to every song and brought great energy, and the band reciprocated.
Overall, it was a great show from top to bottom. Some fun openers with enough popular songs to get the crowd singing, and a headliner with enough hits to fill a 20-plus song setlist and enough energy for two hours of fun.
