Granger Smith, a good ol’ country singer from Dallas, Texas, visited Laramie Monday night. The chart-topping artist, along with bands Brand 307 and Aces Up, were greeted by a large student and local crowd at the Gryphon Theatre Tuesday night.
Getting into the industry at the ripe age of 19, Smith says on his website he “rarely plays by the rules.” Creating music from his homemade studio, the former Texas A&M alum seldom has a minute to rest.
With hit songs like “We Do It In A Field,” “Dirt Road Driveway” and “The Country Boy Song,” Smith demonstrates how his music is authentic and “from the heart,” because of his country roots.
The singer also spends his time giving back to the troops. After multiple tours in Iraq and Kuwait, along with his partnership with The Boot Campaign, Smith encourages his fans to support American troops.
His themes in each song describe the typical lifestyle of many Wyomingites. With dirt road driving and the occasional beer, Smith relates to his audience through his lyrics.
Jen Welsh and Brett Foster were excited for one of their favorite singers to come to their hometown.
“His music really hits home for us,” Foster said. “Muddy roads and pick-up trucks with romance of country life.”
The signature “YEE YEE” clothing brand was present on a majority of crowd members. Signifying his playful wit and charm, audience members wore hats or shirts with the saying in support of Smith.
“You can expect a lot of YEE-YEEing when Smith comes on,” said Foster.
The crowd went wild when Smith finally hit the stage. Screaming and yelling with excitement, the energy continued to build throughout the night starting with the opening bands.
Crowd involvement was especially popular with those standing front row and in the standing pit. Throwing t-shirts, touching audience members’ hands, yelling “YEE YEE” and pointing out into the crowd, Smith was on a mission to get his spectators as excited for his show as he was. Sitting was not an option as fans stood and sang along during the entire concert.
Smith was as popular with the crowd as he was with his opening bands. Brand 307 and Aces Up encouraged the crowd to welcome Smith to Wyoming with loud cheers.
A local country band out of Cheyenne, Brand 307 features many songs about familiar places such as the Buckhorn Bar and their travels in Wyoming from Rock Springs and Rawlins to Cheyenne and Laramie.
Aces Up, a country group out of Washington State, also joined Smith on tour. Their music mixed “blue collar country” with “Seattle rock,” proving that country isn’t all in the South.
The show left audience members very satisfied, many still talking about Smith’s performance as they shuffled out.
“I like his music and it was awesome being able to see him in person, especially for his first time in Wyoming,” Dane Purmalis, a UW student, said after the show.
Smith caused a lot of excitement with his performance. There was a decent turn out for the concert and audience members felt a connection with all of the bands. Along with Brand 307 and Aces Up, Smith brought a great show to Laramie.
