“I love you, say it back,” Bailey Zimmerman said.

That phrase, and sentiment, was echoed all throughout Mohegan Sun Arena on April 9, as Zimmerman performed in front of a sold out crowd. 

The 26-year-old stopped in Uncasville during his “Different Night, Same Rodeo” tour, a trip which will take him around parts of Canada. This is Zimmerman’s first time playing arenas as a headliner, but by the energy and passion he brings with each song, you’d never know it.

Zimmerman has one of the most electric and jaw-dropping entrances a country artist will likely ever have, shooting up out of the ground and using a rope swing to arrive at the main platform, all while the intro to he and Luke Combs’ “Backup Plan” plays.

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Behind high-shooting pyrotechnics and the smell of gunpowder around the arena from fireworks exploding behind the stage, Zimmerman sang every word to “Backup Plan” including Combs’ verse. The song is one of the highlights from Zimmerman’s most recent album “Different Night Same Rodeo,” and his collaboration with Combs made the song an instant hit and country radio favorite.

After that, Zimmerman gave the audience a good crop of some of his old tunes and some of his new stuff, including “Never Comin’ Home,” “Change” and “Lost,” his collaboration with The Kid Laroi. 

“Lost” was a song I was very excited to hear, because even though it’s more of a pop than country song, it’s extremely catchy and one of my personal favorites from him.

Zimmerman’s voice has changed over the years as he’s found his true sound, so hearing that change on songs like “Never Comin’ Home” and even “Fall In Love,” one of his original hits, was very cool.

After, Zimmerman played a good crop of his “Religiously” and “Different Night Same Rodeo” stuff, including “Get To Gettin’ Gone,” a personal concert favorite of mine, “Comin’ in Cold,” “Chevy Silverado” and “Fix’n to Break.”

The latter is my favorite song from Zimmerman, only rivaled by a later song. It was the first song from him I truly fell in love with, as the slower nature and breakup-infused lyrics made it an instant sad classic for me. Everyone took out their flashlights for this song as well, which illuminated the arena and added to the atmosphere.

Zimmerman then went “emo,” which is how I described it to my roommate during the concert. He was joined on-stage by his guitarist and a piano for “Before You,” which he dedicated to his future wife. He then pivoted to “Never Leave,” a dedication to first responders and teachers, which was great as well. 

One of my favorite things about Zimmerman is his “extreme ADHD,” which causes him to do some pretty wild and fun things. During the end of one of his songs, a small flame arose from the back of the stage, due to a pyrotechnic malfunction.

Don’t fret though, Zimmerman came to the rescue, or so he imagined. Noticing the flame from the corner of his eye, Zimmerman approached the fire and tried to blow it out like a candle, which elicited a huge applause from the crowd. He was unsuccessful of course, as the flame was put out by concert officials, but the malfunction made for a very funny moment.

Then, after performing “Holy Smokes,” which I mentioned above rivaled “Fix’n to Break” as my favorite song, a fan from center-stage threw a bra at Zimmerman. 

Mid-song, he caught it, wrapped it around his mic stand, and continued to sing. After the song, as the lights cut to black, the faint silhouette of Zimmerman was seen wrapping the bra around his guitarist’s face, before making him put it on for its intended use for the next few songs. Zimmerman then cracked a joke to the whole crowd, saying “I don’t know if I can sing this song after touching a bra.”

After asking the crowd, Zimmerman pivoted into “Just Believe,” his new single with Brandon Lake. As Lake sang on the board behind, Zimmerman just continued to laugh, as the song is about God, which when juxtaposed against the bra, was very funny. 

Leaving the stage and jumping in the crowd, Zimmerman then sang another one of his upbeat tunes, “Ashes,” as fans alike moshed with the head-banging singer. As he arrived at the secondary stage, positioned at the other end of the arena, he invited his good buddy and opener Blake Whiten to the stage. 

To divert for a second, Zimmerman has Whiten and Hudson Westbrook joining him on every show during the tour, which makes for a great trio of voices all around. All three men have very different and unique voices, and all sounded great with the arena’s acoustic, especially Wesbrook, who sounded exactly the same as he does on the radio and on streaming.

Zimmerman and Whiten sang “Holding On,” a song Whiten helped pen and one that sounded great with both their voices. Zimmerman also cracked my favorite line of the show during this song, saying to Whiten “you’re a cute little shit, aren’t you?”

For his last two songs on the secondary stage, Zimmerman sang a cover of Hannah Montana’s “The Climb,” a very timely song considering the release of the 20th anniversary special last month. Zimmerman then asked the crowd if he could turn the arena into a “club,” screaming “aye” and hitting the shoot dance before pivoting into “All the Way,” his pop-country-rap hit with BigXthaPlug.

Another moment from the show that I loved was during “New to Country,” where Zimmerman quickly changed into a Connecticut Sun jersey. As a WNBA fan, and considering the recent relocation news about the Sun, this was a nice ode to the team and the arena he was playing in.

Zimmerman’s last songs were likely his three biggest, those being “Religiously,” “Where It Ends” and “A Rock In A Hard Place,” all three played in that order. “Religiously” was pretty phenomenal and one of the best songs of the show, and “A Rock In A Hard Place” was a great end to a great concert.

I mean it when I say this was one of my favorite concerts of all time. Zimmerman’s energy is truly unmatched, and his antics are unlike anything you’d see at any other country music show. I recommend both his music and concerts to anyone I know, because I promise no matter what night you go, you’re getting the same Zimmerman, and the same energy. Every time.