The lights were turned down low as Scotty McCreery performed after the sun went down at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds on Friday, July 24.

McCreery opened his set with “You Time” and he followed with the rockin’ “Can’t Pass the Bar.”

McCreery then introduced himself to the crowd of about 3,000 people in the grandstands and the grounds of the former Lincoln County Raceway.

“I’ve been traveling all over the country the last 15 years,” he said. “I like this place. Y’all have a great place to live.”

McCreery announced he would play his wife’s favorite song, “It Matters to Her.” And then, he performed “Cab in a Solo”, a song he performed at the Huskers’ Volleyball Day in Nebraska in 2023. The music video was filmed that day.

McCreery performed a cover of “The Boys in Summer” before the signature song, “Your Man,” which was recorded by Josh Turner. McCreery sang the song when he auditioned for American Idol, which he won in 2011.

“I was just trying to impress Jennifer Lopez, and it turned into 15 years of living the dream,” McCreery told the crowd.

McCreery said he grew up listening to country music legends like Merle Haggard, George Jones, Conway Twitty and the like. He said their songs aren’t played as often as they should, and he’d like to perform some of them.

He began the medley with “Hello Darlin” by Twitty before segueing into “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis, “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, “Chattahoochie” by Alan Jackson, “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” by John Michael Montgomery and finally, “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)” by Garth Brooks.

After that, McCreery performed the touching “Five More Minutes” before finishing with “Bottle Rockets” his latest collaboration with Hootie and the Blowfish.

Jason Mayer

Before Scotty McCreery took the stage, Jason Mayer opened the show.

His set began with “Kind of Wild” which showcased the Omaha singer’s unique sound that combines current country music with 90s alternative rock like The Goo Goo Dolls and Gin Blossoms.

Mayer and his band performed other originals like “Beer Makes it Better” and “Back to Nebraska”. They also played covers like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith and “White Horse” by Chris Stapleton.

Mayer finished his set with a medley that began with “The Joker” before going into a number of hip-hop songs like The Fresh Prince theme, “Hip Hop Hooray”, “In Da Club” and “Thrift Shop.”

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