I\u2019ve been going to concerts for as long as I can remember, and while rock will always be my first love, every once in a while an artist reminds me that great live music doesn\u2019t need a label. Bailey Zimmerman\u2019s first-ever appearance at Bethlehem\u2019s Musikfest wasn\u2019t just another country concert \u2014 it was a full-blown arena show with enough energy to win over fans of just about any genre.<\/p>\n
You could tell this wasn\u2019t going to be an ordinary Thursday long before the lights went down. The line to get into the Wind Creek Steel Stage was already wrapped around the venue an hour and a half before showtime. Instead of the usual sea of black concert shirts, the crowd was packed with cowboy hats, boots and mostly younger fans impatiently waiting for the night to start. Suspended high above the stage was a massive glowing neon \u201cBZ,\u201d while the merchandise tent looked like it\u2019d been picked clean before Bailey even appeared, with most of the shirts already sold out.<\/p>\n
It was also one of those classic August nights at Musikfest where everyone kept one eye on the stage and the other on the sky. The humidity was relentless, and flashes of lightning in the distance had plenty of us wondering if another summer storm was about to interrupt the evening, something longtime Musikfest fans have come to expect. Thankfully, the rain held off, making the anticipation even sweeter once the lights finally dimmed.<\/p>\n
The night opened with Gillian Smith, whose powerhouse vocals wasted no time getting the crowd warmed up.<\/p>\n
Next came Chandler Walters, and if you don\u2019t know his name yet, chances are you\u2019ve already heard his work. Walters has become one of Nashville\u2019s most respected young songwriters, co-writing Post Malone and Morgan Wallen\u2019s chart-topping hit \u201cI Had Some Help,\u201d while also writing songs for Zimmerman, ERNEST and several other country artists. As someone who grew up in the \u201990s, hearing Walters break into Brooks & Dunn\u2019s \u201cBoot Scootin\u2019 Boogie\u201d instantly put a smile on my face. It wasn\u2019t just a cover; it was a fun nod to one of country music\u2019s most iconic eras and had the crowd singing right along.<\/p>\n
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.<\/p>\n
Instead of simply walking onstage, Bailey Zimmerman made his entrance by riding a zip line from the top of the sub stage while launching straight into \u201cBackup Plan.\u201d For those of us who grew up watching Garth Brooks turn country concerts into arena spectacles, it immediately brought back memories of those larger-than-life entrances. It was dramatic, exciting and the perfect way to kick off the night.<\/p>\n
From there, the show never let up.<\/p>\n
The production was every bit as impressive as anything you\u2019ll see on a major rock tour. Fire blasts shot skyward throughout the evening, fireworks lit up the Bethlehem skyline, towering LED screens surrounded the band, and the giant illuminated \u201cBZ\u201d anchored the stage from above. It was big, bold and never felt overdone \u2014 it simply elevated every song.<\/p>\n
Just as impressive was the sound.<\/p>\n
Outdoor festivals can be hit or miss, but whoever handled the front-of-house mix deserves a standing ovation. Bailey\u2019s gritty vocals remained crystal clear all night, every instrument found its place in the mix, and the band sounded massive without ever becoming muddy.<\/p>\n
At one point Bailey strapped on a Flying V guitar \u2014 something you don\u2019t expect to see at your average country concert \u2014 and it only reinforced what the entire night was proving: country music and rock have never sounded closer.<\/p>\n
The band matched that energy every step of the way. The bassist and guitarist, both sporting long hair and black sleeveless shirts, constantly fed off each other as they crossed the stage, trading smiles, riffs and pure adrenaline. Their chemistry added another layer of excitement and made the performance feel every bit like a high-energy rock show.<\/p>\n
Early in the evening Bailey greeted the crowd by saying, \u201cI\u2019m excited to be in Pennsylvania tonight \u2026 my ADHD likes to take over real quick!\u201d The crowd immediately laughed, and that easygoing personality stayed with him throughout the night.<\/p>\n
He also took a quiet moment to share one of his favorite Bible verses with the audience, quoting Mark 9:23:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a heartfelt moment that fit naturally into the show and was met with a loud ovation from the audience.<\/p>\n
The set featured fan favorites including \u201cNever Comin\u2019 Home,\u201d \u201cFall In Love,\u201d \u201cComin\u2019 In Cold,\u201d \u201cChevy Silverado,\u201d \u201cHoly Smokes,\u201d \u201cReligiously,\u201d \u201cWhere It Ends,\u201d \u201cAll the Way,\u201d and several newer tracks that had fans singing every word.<\/p>\n
One of the night\u2019s biggest highlights came when Chandler Walters returned to the stage to perform \u201cFixin\u2019 to Break\u201d alongside Zimmerman. Watching the songwriter perform with the artist who brought the song to life made for one of the evening\u2019s most genuine moments.<\/p>\n
Zimmerman closed the night with his signature hit, \u201cRock and a Hard Place,\u201d and there couldn\u2019t have been a more fitting finale. As thousands of fans sang every lyric back to him, his raspy, emotional delivery gave the song even more weight than it carries on the album. It wasn\u2019t flashy. It wasn\u2019t overproduced. It was simply raw emotion, and it was the perfect way to end the evening.<\/p>\n
Walking out of Musikfest, I wasn\u2019t thinking about genres.<\/p>\n
I was thinking about what makes a great live show.<\/p>\n
Bailey Zimmerman has figured it out. He combines heartfelt country songwriting with arena-sized production, authentic stage presence, an outstanding live band and just enough rock-and-roll attitude to make everyone in the crowd feel like they belonged \u2014 whether they showed up wearing cowboy boots or their favorite concert T-shirt.<\/p>\n
For his first visit to Bethlehem, he couldn\u2019t have made a stronger impression. Something tells me it won\u2019t be his last. Well done, Musikfest.<\/p>\n
Jenny Talbot is a freelance writer.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been going to concerts for as long as I can remember, and while rock will always be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,1681,1213,22777,289,432],"class_list":["post-260933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-entertainment","tag-music-and-concerts","tag-musikfest","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}