Hunter Hayes Shows the Quad Cities A Lot of Love

It's always good to start the night backstage talking to an artist with listeners from the radio station. Friday night at the i wireless Center, Hunter Hayes chatted with the Hawk staff and our listeners, then signed autographs and took some pictures. Instead of rushing people through he took the time to ask questions and talk with each person. He even told Kaitlyn Rokusek of Bettendorf that she had a sweet pair of Chuck Taylor Converse shoes and that she had pretty eyes. She seemed to enjoy that Hunter Hayes liked both her shoes and her eyes as she told him her favorite song was Invisible. After that everyone took their seats and The Railers and Dan and Shay opened the show with high energy sets. By the time Dan and Shay played Show You Off, the crowd was singing along and cheering on the duo.

Then it was time for the headliner and Hayes didn't hold back with a blistering two hour set of 20 songs that had the crowd screaming on it's feet. The one thing that struck me by the third or fourth song was how well he plays guitar. At one point I thought to myself, "This is sort of like a rock and roll show" as he shredded another solo while running across the stage.

Throughout the evening Noah and Olivia and I kept remarking to each other how good the show was and how interactive the LED wristbands were that everyone got when they arrived at the show. When Hunter and I talked on the air last week about the tour, he was very proud of the production values and planning that went into the show and he wasn't kidding. Watching the show from a special VIP section at the soundboard the three of us saw first hand how hard Hayes works at putting on a great show for his fans.

As a free lance concert photographer I also had the opportunity to take pictures at the show which was fun because I knew that there would be several moments that I could capture the bond Hayes has with his fans. If his love for his fans seems genuine to you, it's because it is.

Olivia and I watched the last couple of songs just off to the side of the stage then hit the backstage area to spend a few more minutes with the headliner and some of his crew. The thing that struck me the most backstage was the IPAD DJ setup jamming early 90′s hip hop like Fat Joe and Ja Rule.. The sounds created a chill atmosphere backstage and again Hayes couldn’t have been nicer to us. He asked if we liked the show and the production, thanked us for supporting his music and we talked about our mutual love of dogs. Olivia asked him how late he slept on the bus and he said usually 10 or 11 in the morning. Eventually we said our goodbyes and wished each other well till we meet again.

People always say to me is "Working in radio must be a great job. You get to meet cool people and see tons of concerts" I always agree and say, "It's a tough life". Over several years in radio across many formats, I’ve met dozens and dozens of artists and Hunter Hayes has to be at the top of my list. It's rare that an artist goes above and beyond the obligatory hand shake and photo op backstage. Hunter was totally cool when I interviewed him last week, answering all my questions and having a real conversation. At the show he and his crew made us and our winners feel welcome and thanked us more than once for being there and for supporting his music on the Hawk.

Before Friday I had a feeling that in addition to being a great performer Hunter Hayes was probably the kind of guy you'd love to hang out with. After all when I met him the last time he played in Moline we had a nice chat and he seemed cool. After the show and time spent backstage this weekend, I realized I was correct on both accounts. He's just a sincere guy whose also very talented and more importantly knows how important his fans are.

If you missed the show or didn't go because you thought you wouldn't enjoy it, you should go check out the Tattoo Your Name Tour Friday in Chicago at the Sears Centre Arena. Grab tickets here.