The Arts and Sciences Auditorium went “Redneck Crazy” Wednesday night as Missouri country artist Tyler Farr brought his own brand of honky tonk to the University of Wyoming this week.
Best known for songs including “Hot Mess,” “Whiskey in My Water” and of course, “Redneck Crazy,” Farr was nominated for Academy of Country Music’s New Artist of the Year Award for this year.
Farr was greeted by a screaming and clapping crowd – some couples even started to swing dance in the aisles of the A&S auditorium. Accompanied by his band, whom he introduced and showcased during his set, Farr encouraged his fans to sing along to the songs they know, an easy task for audience member who were familiar with his work.
“My favorite part was when he sang ‘Redneck Crazy,’” said Abbey Lubeski, a UW cheerleader and nursing major. “It sounded even better than it did on the radio.”
Highlights from the set included Farr bashing a certain tabloid-regular pop star, telling the crowd there should be much less “Miley Cryusing,” in the world, and then taking a poignant moment to give a shout out to any military members present. He invited those who were in the military to raise their hands and personally thanked them while encouraging the crowd to give them a big round of applause.
“Ya’ll are my heroes,” Farr said gratefully. “Thanks for letting me write songs and embrace my freedom of speech.”
Farr’s opening act was Charlie Worsham, a country crooner and cover singer out of Mississippi. For some of the audience, it was the first time connecting the name “Charlie Worsham” to the top 40 song “Could it Be,” his first released single.
“I knew some of his songs, but didn’t know he sang them,” said Jessi Ernst, a UW student from Cheyenne.
Worsham’s music had a modern, electric twist to it. The light show, banjo, and clapping got the crowd ready and excited for Farr’s performance.
“Let’s give it up for Tyler!” Worsham shouted before his set was finished.
The Student Activities Council (SAC) hosted the concert in an effort to relieve students of end-of-the-semester stress
“SAC always tries to offer the students something to do during the week,” said Maddy Graham, SAC lead student programmer. “As students, we understand it is good to find some time to relax.”
Graham said it was also important to land an up-and-coming artist like Farr in order to introduce his potential to the college generation.
“We wanted to host an artist of Farr’s caliber in order to get the student body more familiar with (him),” she said.
