Hunter Hayes' "Red Sky" Tour @ HOB in San Diego
Photos by: Samantha Madnick
Words by: Rudy Flores
It's Wednesday night in San Diego and the air is crisp and on the verge of rain, so why not head down to House of Blues for the Hunter Hayes "Red Sky" tour?! The 22 stop tour starting here in SD and ending June 3rd in Denver, CO will hit cities like New York, Philly, and interestingly enough... Temecula, California (a place not generally known for getting acts of this caliber) on Star Wars Day no less! The tour is named after his 2023 release of the same name and features several tracks from it as most tours named after albums tend to do.
As the the 9 o'clock hour got closer the main floor was packed like sardines, with everyone chomping at the bit to hear Mr. Hayes' first notes as the Astronaut made his way to the stage. As one Hunter's songs played over the loudspeakers the crowd began to cheer and look to the stage to see....no one....yet.
As the, let's call it an "intro" finished, Hunter made it to the stage with a song from the newly released Red Sky album "High Tide" began playing to resounding screams from the all ages crowd that echoed in the streets. During "Somebody's Heartbreak" Hunter showed the crowd that he found his groove as he shimmy'ed (not sure if that's a word but we'll go with it) behind his guitar.
When he finished the hit from his self titled debut album (now a few years over a decade old now...yeesh, has it really been that long) that meant the 3rd song was over and the photographers exited the pit which meant according to the new "house policy" all cameras had to be put taken out of the venue so...if you'll excuse me for a minute while I walk to my car for a minute...downtown...where no one finds good parking...I'll be right back.
So that was....cool .
During my trip I missed one of my favorite songs , Still Falling, which was a bummer. I did, however make it back in time to catch Hunter at the piano for "Invisible" another great track from his 2014 sophomore album "Storyline" one of his more uplifting songs about surviving the B.S. life throws at you when youre a little different in high school because it gets better. Hayes performed “Invisible” for the first time at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and was nominated for “Best Country Solo Performance” in the 2015 Grammys. Another crowd pleaser for sure as many of us were "outcasts and rebels", going against the grain in one way or another. I know I was.
"Dear God" off last years "Wild Blue" was another standout that asked what I'm sure a lot of us have asked at one point or another whether youre a religious person or not, "Dear God, are you sure that you don't mess up?". The tune resonated with the crowd, probably a bit more than most of us would care to admit.
The mix of songs old and new took us all on an emotional roller-coaster, full of high energy tracks like "One Shot" and "Storm Warning", beautifully written love songs and the aforementioned heartbreakers. Definitely something for everyone in attendance. As the night drew to a close and the throngs of cowboy boots (but surprising LACK of cowboy hats) made their way up the stairs and onto 6th Avenue, you could tell that the people were both satisfied and not at the same time, because while the show was great...NOBODY WANTED IT TO END! But like all good things, the night came to an end for the people of San Diego as Hunter and the "Red Sky" crew got ready to do it all over again the next night.
Be sure to check out www.hunterhayes.com for more dates in a city near you!
Setlist for H.O.B. San Diego, CA May 3rd, 2023
1. High Tide
2. About a Boy
3. Normal / Somebody's Heartbreak
4. What IfI Do / Still Fallin
5. Missing You
6. Lonely Loves Me / Invisible
7. Everybody's Got Somebody but
Me
8. If You Change Your Mind
9. Sober
10. One shot
11. Tell Me/Friend
12. Dear God
13. Feelings
14. Wallflower
15. Someone Will
16. The One That Got Away
17. Could've Been You
18. Storm Warning / Tattoo
19. Victory /l Want Crazy
20. Wanted
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