Lainey Wilson has cemented herself as one of country music’s most electrifying and unstoppable forces, seamlessly blending traditional Southern grit with modern flair. With her breakout album ‘Bell Bottom Country,' Wilson skyrocketed to superstardom, sweeping major award shows and even claiming the prestigious CMA Entertainer of the Year title. Her signature mix of Dolly Parton-inspired storytelling and Lynyrd Skynyrd-style Southern rock has made her the genre’s golden girl, landing high-profile collaborations, a devoted social media following, and even sparking a fashion movement that sees fans emulating her signature style. Now, as she steps into the next phase of her career with ‘Whirlwind,' Wilson faces the weight of enormous expectations—but if her latest record is any indication, she’s more than ready for the moment.
‘Whirlwind' is a testament to Wilson’s evolution as both a songwriter and a performer, elevating her artistry to new heights. The album refines and expands on the sounds that made ‘Bell Bottom Country' such a success, proving that she’s not just riding a wave of momentum—she’s in full control of it. As she takes the stage for her latest UK appearance at the C2C festival, the third consecutive year that Wilson has visited the UK, fans can expect a powerhouse performer at the peak of her abilities, delivering the kind of electrifying, heartfelt show that has become her trademark. At this point in her career with both ‘Whirlwind,' and her live performances, Lainey Wilson isn’t just meeting expectations—she’s blowing them away!
With a heart like a truck, some big production values and a huge amount of emotion, Lainey Wilson's headlining performance at the O2 in London felt like something of a homecoming statement. Wilson first came to the UK in 2018 and made her debut on the outside stages of the C2C festival a year later. That makes her the first artist to have started off outside the O2 arena and then to headline it. Wilson was very aware of that feat and the implications and import that her British fans have had on her career meaning that she put her all into this set, singing with a passion and power that I'm sure she always does, but this one was just that but more special.
The slick opening saw the video screens showing us 3D pictures of a barn and we gradually drove away as the opening bars to ‘Hang Tight Honey' and those earthy chugging guitars propelled us headlong into this powerful set. Across the screens we got road trips, petrol stations, cattle, storms and all sorts of American western imagery and they only served to enhance Wilson's performance in the best way they could.
‘Dirty Looks' was a pleasant surprise in the early part of the set. It's a hypnotic, moody song that saw the stage bathed in blue lights and Wilson singing the hell out of the ‘looks good on you' mantra.
‘London, what's going on my friends?' Wilson asked after ‘Dirty Looks.' She went on to explain how she feels like the city is her second home and how it was in this city that she first heard a crowd sing back one of her songs to her. The set then moved up a gear as Wilson sang ‘Good Horses' and ‘Things A Man Oughta Know.' The latter, in particular, was incredibly impactful, performed as it was, by just Wilson sat atop the riser with an acoustic guitar. One of her players added in a little mandolin but the power of the song in this stripped-back format spoke for itself and became one of the highlights of the whole set.
For the louder, more bombastic songs, like ‘Bar in Baton Rouge,' ‘Ring Finger' and ‘Keep Up With Jones,' Wilson could be found stalking the stage, side to side, like a young Tina Turner in her heyday so it was no surprise to hear her throw in some classic ‘Proud Mary' towards the end of ‘Bar in Baton Rouge.' The crowd loved it, as they also did her cover of the Beatles' ‘Come Together.' Again, Wilson explained, this was a call back to her 2018 and 2019 appearances over in the UK when she had played the song for the first time. People sang, people danced and people smiled.
Whether it's via the bluesy, funky 70s vibes of ‘Ring Finger' or the chugging disco beats of ‘Whirlwind,' whenever Lainey Wilson steps slightly outside the mainstream Country genre, she has a fan base that runs with her and both of those songs saw people up out of their seats and dancing in the O2 Arena. ‘Heart Like A Truck' was also a big crowd participation moment although the money shot in that song was, and always will be the huge, show-stopping note that Wilson goes for in the climax to the song. She went for it tonight and executed with aplomb, bringing cheers and hollers of joy out from the crowd.
This was a slick and polished arena performance from an artist at the peak of their powers. Both of those two descriptors can sometimes also mean vanilla or lacking in heart but that is absolutely not applicable here. Sure, there are choreographed moments and elements of the same thing happening night after night but when you tour arenas you have to make sure you reach the people the very furthest away in whatever way you can. Wilson crowned the ‘cowgirl of the night' during ‘Atta Girl,' bestowing a cowboy hat on a young girl from the crowd and she also asked for the audience to light up their phones during ‘Watermelon Sunshine,' something else that happens in most shows. Throughout the show there was an element of performance, of theatre that needs to happen in a huge show. Shapes are pulled, poses thrown and knowing nods and winks are exchanged between the players in the band as they fall to the floor in the right place or shove each other playfully, adding to the overall presentation of the set.
Perhaps the most powerful and magical part of Lainey Wilson's set came in the execution of the very final song, ‘Wild Flowers and Wild Horses.' An elongated fiddle intro gave the screens time to darken as a storm loomed and then lightening fizzled and the rain fell as Wilson launched into this western-tinged romp. Singing like her very life depended on it, Wilson stalked the stage from side to side as the storm raged around her, closing down this very personal and almost redemptive-feeling homecoming show in the very best way possible – by letting her vocals and the power of her songs do all the talking for her.
Lainey Wilson's debut headlining show at the C2C festival was a triumph. A triumph of persistence and of belief. Here we witnessed the success of one of our own: an artist we saw the potential and the talent in, advocating for her from the off. Wilson's story should bring hope to any of the artists on the festival stages around the O2 arena today that dreams do, sometimes, come through, as long as you have to have the talent and stay the course. By delivering a passionate and powerful set, Wilson paid her fans back in kind in London and whether this was the first or the seventh time that you saw Lainey Wilson live tonight, you will have walked away from the show knowing that it will certainly not be the last.
Setlist: 1. Hang Tight Honey 2. Smell Like Smoke 3. Dirty Looks 4. Good Horses 5. Things a Man Oughta Know 6. Middle of It 7. Whirlwind 8. Heart Like a Truck 9. Bar in Baton Rouge 10. Ring Finger 11. Atta Girl 12. Watermelon Sunshine 13. Keep Up With Jones 14. Country's Cool Again 15. Come Together (the Beatles) 16. 4x4xU 17. Wild Flowers and Wild Horses Venue: The O2 Arena, London Date: Friday 14th March 2025
