Lainey Wilson Conquers The Woodlands in her Whirlwind Tour stop

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Lainey Wilson … Two small words. One word describes her … LEGEND!!! The Nashville based singer from northeast Louisiana, was back at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands this past Saturday, following the unfortunate cancellation of her September concert date due to vocal issues. And even with the disappointment, Lainey made the right decision. Forcing the concert would have made it worse, and her public apology without makeup at the time, made her look even more real than she ever could be. Wilson isn’t invincible, no one is; and the cool November air was quite a contrast to the sticky September weather, making the event even more cozy and enjoyable. Yes, Lainey Wilson marched into The Woodlands on Saturday, with the antepenultimate stop of her Whirlwind World Tour, and marched out victorious, leaving 16,500 fans with living memories of having seen the great lady in concert.

Wilson started her 2025 tour in March hitting all the European hot spots, Antwerp, Berlin, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Paris, and Zurich, before starting the American leg of her tour in Florida and Kentucky at the end of May, and now with September forgotten, the forgiving fans adored her like the Queen she is. Cynthia Woods was packed tighter than a can full of sardines, and you could tell even before the concert that the crowd was hyped in singing along with John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads,’ even out vocaling the track being played. And as the band started its introduction the excitement began its upward climb, and already the waves from the low-frequency sounds were pounding against chests continuing to ascend to their climax.

Lainey’s entrance to the stage was incredible. There was light. Then dark. Then Lainey. She stood like a statue at the top of the stage dressed in red leather, looking like a Goddess. She checked off all the boxes, sexy, fabulous voice, incredible moves, and World Class striking poses. To call her concert just entertainment is an understatement. It’s an experience, Bucket List at that. Her expressions in reverence to God were incredible, and possibly converted some non-believers. The audience was clay in her hands, inspired by her rocking and rolling, kids and their parents swinging their arms in the air, Wilson could have shaped them in any way she wanted.

After four songs, Lainey took a break in a heartfelt moment to express some personal thoughts about the September concert.

“I was in a bind y’all, so thank you so much for understanding and I’m feeling a hundred percent,” said Wilson. “So I’m gonna give it a hundred and ninety percent tonight, and I hope you’re gonna say thank you.”

No problem. And she did. Lainey was easily forgiven, as she took her guitar before launching into ‘Watermelon Moonshine,’ then a sight not easily forgotten happened. 16,000 cell phones were pulled out from the back of the lawn, to the pit just in front of the stage, which filled the CWM canopy with light to the rafters. Wilson shared the stage equally giving love to fans, left, center, and right, and her guitarists and bandmates did their part in adding even more excitement for the concert goers to appreciate. Several ran a 50-yard dash across the stage at height, then there were the multi-talented members who played multiple instruments, whether it be the violin and guitar, or the drums, caracas, or the washboard abs.

Lainey was excited to show her engagement ring from her fiancé Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges, who popped the question back in February, and she broke into a wonderful rendition of ‘Somewhere over Laredo,’ using the melody of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, in her version, a song dedicated to the Cowgirls in the audience. She made several loving references to the audience as her ‘Red Neck Choir,’ with calls for more Peace in The World.

Her hats set trends. Her hand gestures to the heart are epic. Her hip movements would make Elvis jealous. She can switch to the electric guitar and its play lifts the excitement to the level of bubbling the skin. She shakes hands with fans with the intensity of Porter Wagoner at the Grand Ole Opry.

Wilson is able to play the hell out of a guitar, and still finds time to enjoy some personal time with each of her guitarists, drummer, and violinist. She told the story of her upbringing in Baskin, Louisiana, which is southeast of Monroe, in the Village of Baskin, which is the official name and having a population of 157. The town has since grown to a whopping 210 citizens as of 2020. Lainey wrote her first song at 9, and was practicing guitar at 11.

“I felt The Lord was giving love to my music,” said Wilson, describing her trust in The Almighty to guide her in her musical journey.

She described the simple act of a little girl drawing a picture, then sang ‘Whiskey Colored Crayon,’ a song about a little boy drawing a home and family situation in which the ‘deddy,’ or daddy, suffered from alcohol abuse. It’s sad to see children hurting and having to be witness to terrible things such as alcoholism, and Lainey was brave to broach the subject in her work.

In a humorous moment, and to introduce some friends who tour with her, Chunk Muncaster and Gary Stanton, from Muscadine Bloodline, Lainey brought out a pair of toilets, dropping the ‘s-bomb,’ several times in jest. Wilson has known the guys for 14 years, and she could pull off a stunt like that in coaxing the guys to sit on their thrones and sing ‘Pieces’ with her. It’s a song about life after a broken relationship, with all the pain and heartbreak involved with a shattered broken heart.

Another little slowdown segment of the concert ‘Chicken Pickin,’ sorta like ‘Pickin and Grinnin’ from Hee Haw, was when Wilson introduced her bandmates, thankfully without toilets, as everyone gathered round in a sit down, instruments in hand just messin’ around. Making the rounds, Lainey pointed to Aslan Freeman on guitar; Matt Nolan on drums, playing the washboard abs during the pick. Then there was Kevin Nolan also on guitar, piano, and keyboard; while Tommy Scifres was on bass; and the beautiful Sav Madigan, played the fiddle in pizzicato, or plucking, while also manning the guitar and mandolin. It was a touching moment of realism for the band to stay still long enough for the audience to see they are real people, and not just figures on a label or some video.

Having been in Nashville 14 years, they were hard times for Wilson cutting her teeth, but her breakout song ‘Things a Man Oughta Know,’ was released five years ago, setting Lainey on the road to stardom on the Billboard Country charts, and in 2023 she teamed up with Ram Trucks for a national commercial featuring her song ‘Heart Like a Truck,’ and she even had a small recurring role in the Yellowstone television series.

Wilson’s concerts are rock like. Exciting. Powerful. Loud. And Fan Loved. She has earned her Rhinestone microphone. She’s all over the stage, and she can move everything that God gave her. Couples danced with each other in place when she was in song. She can entertain and command the stage all while taking a sip of beer. Lainey can 4x4xU, mowing you down with excitement. She owed Montgomery County and Houston a show, and she most certainly delivered, going on for two hours as if were nothing; being as intense at the end of the show as she was at the beginning. The love she showed for her Redneck Choir in The Woodlands, was one of pure awe, and they were pickin’ up what Lainey was putin’ down; with Wilson giving that 190% she promised earlier in the show.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net

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