Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Winning “Nashville Star” nearly two decades ago has long since blossomed into one of today’s brightest country careers for constant chart-topper Chris Young.

Though still in his 30s, the singer/songwriter is already a member of the Grand Ole Opry thanks to a neo-traditionalist approach in an era that often veers well beyond the core genre, but he’s simultaneously managed to capture younger generations who’ve cued up over five billion on-demand streams.

The Tennessee troubadour attracted a wide age range at the Las Vegas-like Hard Rock Live inside the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, where he unpacked one hit after the next, featured his latest album, “Famous Friends,” and previewed a bit of what’s to come.

Backed by a six-piece band and a sizeable light show with screens ready to make the jump to an arena, Young demonstrated his deep baritone and guitar playing gifts over instantly memorable tracks, stirring up a wide-range of sentiments while kicking just as much dust.

It was indeed “One Of Them Nights” likely to be etched into the minds of attendees given its steady stream of life-affirming anthems and ballads that are now so numerous, they couldn’t possibly all fit within 90 minutes.

Even so, Young sure did get to a ton of tunes, including “Hangin’ On,” “Looking For You,” “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” and “I’m Comin’ Over,” often being met with shouts of delight and toasts of beer.

A true-to-form cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” was the perfect precursor to the his own “Neon,” which flowed quite appropriately into “Raised On Country,” especially considering the headliner went on to duet with the heroic likes of Willie Nelson and Vince Gill.

Young further illustrated the point when merging “I Can Take It From There” with Conway Twitty’s “I’d Love To Lay You Down,” joking anything by the late legend should lead to some serious post-concert romance.

Any of the greats could be proud of other originals, such as “Drowning,” “At The End Of The Bar,” “Text Me Texas,” or the grand finale, “Aw Naw” merged with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” which had the Hard Rock as revved up as it’s ever been and signaled Young is well on his way towards ranking amongst them all.

Click here for more photos of Chris Young at Hard Rock Live.

For additional information on Chris Young, visit ChrisYoungCountry.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Skillet and Theory Of A Deadman (Feb. 17); Joe (Feb. 25); Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band (Mar. 17); Fantastic Five (Mar. 25); Snarky Puppy (Apr. 1); Maxwell (Apr. 15); Smokey Robinson (Apr. 28); Wayne Newton and Tony Orlando (May 13) and Kevin James (Jun. 18). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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