ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Country singer Brad Paisley rocked Allentown Fair's grandstand Friday night with hit after hit his fans know and sing along to.
Backed by his band, playfully named the Drama Kings, Paisley's 90-minute concert felt comfortable — like old friends getting together to sing, dance and share a laugh.
Despite some spotty raindrops, the country star took the stage with one of his most popular songs, "Ticks," and changed lyrics about a butterfly tattoo to a Philadelphia Eagles reference, much to the crowd's glee.
The cooler weather and slight breeze felt like fall, but Paisley reminded fans that summer isn’t over yet.
That was repeated as scenes of lakes, boat rides and a jet-skiing squirrel played on the screen behind him.
It was an older crowd that filled the stands to see the 51-year-old singer who came out with his first album in 1999.
His catchy songs had those in attendance singing along to hits with short titles — such as "Perfect Storm," "Water," "Online," "Then" and "Old Alabama."
Keepsakes and tributes
As Paisley sang, he tossed out guitar picks, but the biggest take home of the night went to a little boy in the pit who told Paisley it was his first concert.
The singer then handed over his guitar to the boy as a keepsake.
Paisley also stopped the show to take selfies on fans’ phones, sign a fan’s jacket and pay homage to our nation's troops.
As he sang his song "Country Music," he brought out two soldiers as an American flag filled the screen behind them.
The tame crowd became a little more lively as Paisley ended the show with fan favorite "Mud on The Tires," and an energized encore of the song "Alcohol."
Newcomer George Birge opened for Paisley, covering songs including "Dust on the Bottle" by David Lee Murphy and "Free Fallin’" by Tom Petty to amp up the crowd.
Birge followed with his own hits, including, "OK Breakin’ Up" and "Mind On You."
