Hunter Hayes makes the crowd feel Wanted
Hunter Hayes played through rain and cold weather. During the show he joked that playing the guitar helped warm up his numb fingers. Welcome to Wisconsin, Hayes!
The cold and rain didn’t stop the crowd from jumping along with country artist Hunter Hayes while he performed at the Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The concert started at 7 p.m. on Sunday with opening act Carly Pearce. She sported a white University of Wisconsin-Platteville sweatshirt as she sang original songs as well as covers of popular country and pop songs. Hayes took the stage at 8 p.m.
Hayes chatted with the Exponent in an April 28 phone interview. Hayes, 24, grew up in a small town in Louisiana called Breaux Bridge, which is a similar size and population to Platteville. He said he doesn’t have a distinct memory or lightbulb kind of moment where he decided that he wanted to be a country artist, but he does remember watching Garth Brooks on TV when he was 6 years old and how awe-inspiring it was to watch him perform. After that, he said, he always knew what he wanted to do.
“It is clear to me what I want to do [which is to] make music and bring it on the road,” Hayes said. “Some things you cannot deny.”
Hayes said that he loves being a student of other artists, bands and producers. His goal for his music is to be inspiring, to connect with people, and to help lift them up.
“Music is a powerful communication thing. Every song has a different purpose,” Hayes said.
He said his song “Invisible,” which he performed on Sunday night, came to life the way it did because of the fans and because people loved it so much. And for him, it is all about connecting to people.
Hayes can play over 30 instruments, but he said his favorite is the electric guitar, which he played during most of the concert on Sunday night. He also played the piano while he performed the song “Wanted.”
Caitlin Bartels, a UW-Platteville elementary education alumni, said that “Wanted” was her favorite part of the show. Despite the weather being less-than-ideal, Bartels was glad she came.
“So happy. Loved it. Wouldn’t have missed it,” Bartels said.
Last year, the Dustin Lynch concert was held inside Velzy Commons and sold out after selling 1200 tickets. The stadium has a larger capacity, but only approximately 1900 tickets were sold prior to the show on Sunday. Fear of bad weather might be a factor in the ticket sales this year.
“[The] rain was a downer, but I think people stayed because they were there for Hunter Hayes and Carly Pearce. I saw some people out there who were completely soaked, but they stayed to the end,” senior media studies major and Campus Programming and Relations (CPR) event producer Justin Toney said.
Jordan Frederick, senior agriculture education major, said that he enjoyed watching Hayes play the piano.
“’Wanted’ and him playing the piano was the best part,” Frederick said. “I’m a huge Hunter Hayes fan, so it was great.”
Although Toney is not a country fan, he said that he thought the concert went really well and his favorite part was the Prince tribute that Hayes did at the end of the show.
“I love seeing artists and performers do what they do and they’re passionate about their art. We had a good crowd out there. A lot of people were jumping around and screaming,” Toney said.
Playing on a college campus is not a new thing to Hayes. His tour has included a lot of colleges across the country. Hayes said that he digs the atmosphere and that anytime thousands of people gather together it’s a blast.
Hayes said that he still gets nervous before every concert, because it matters so much to him.
“I think the scariest part is anybody that comes to the show for the first time. I want people to feel like they met somebody,” Hayes said.
He said he wants to make a connection with all the people who come to see him. That’s the vibe he tries to put out for his shows and he makes sure that nothing gets in the way of him being present in the moment.
The most exciting thing about playing shows for Hayes is the jamming and the unexpected parts where he and his band can just jam out. In those moments play off the feeling of the crowd and are able to mess around off the script. Hayes said that those moments are the best to try out new songs and styles and that those moments are his favorite parts of the show. He and the band get excited to see how the audience reacts to them.
“We want to hear from the fans and see if they like the new stuff. Fans don’t know how much the band listens to them,” Hayes said.
Toney, who was able to get a selfie with the Hayes, said that even though Hayes is a country artist, he is diverse and plays a lot of other different songs.
“You get to experience artistry at its best,” Toney said.
Hayes and the band will be playing in Orlando May 6, and then will be back in Wisconsin to play at Summerfest on July 6, and the Washington County Fair on July 28.
Playing on a college campus is not a new thing to Hayes. His tour has included a lot of colleges across the country. Hayes said that he digs the atmosphere and that anytime thousands of people gather together it’s a blast.
Hayes said that he still gets nervous before every concert, because it matters so much to him.
“I think the scariest part is anybody that comes to the show for the first time. I want people to feel like they met somebody,” Hayes said.
He said he wants to make a connection with all the people who come to see him. That’s the vibe he tries to put out for his shows and he makes sure that nothing gets in the way of him being present in the moment.
The most exciting thing about playing shows for Hayes is the jamming and the unexpected parts where he and his band can just jam out. In those moments play off the feeling of the crowd and are able to mess around off the script. Hayes said that those moments are the best to try out new songs and styles and that those moments are his favorite parts of the show. He and the band get excited to see how the audience reacts to them.
“We want to hear from the fans and see if they like the new stuff. Fans don’t know how much the band listens to them,” Hayes said.
Toney, who was able to get a selfie with the Hayes, said that even though Hayes is a country artist, he is diverse and plays a lot of other different songs.
“You get to experience artistry at its best,” Toney said.
Hayes and the band will be playing in Orlando May 6, and then will be back in Wisconsin to play at Summerfest on July 6, and the Washington County Fair on July 28.
“I love seeing artists and performers do what they do and they’re passionate about their art. We had a good crowd out there. A lot of people were jumping around and screaming,” Toney said.
Playing on a college campus is not a new thing to Hayes. His tour has included a lot of colleges across the country. Hayes said that he digs the atmosphere and that anytime thousands of people gather together it’s a blast.
Hayes said that he still gets nervous before every concert, because it matters so much to him.
“I think the scariest part is anybody that comes to the show for the first time. I want people to feel like they met somebody,” Hayes said.
He said he wants to make a connection with all the people who come to see him. That’s the vibe he tries to put out for his shows and he makes sure that nothing gets in the way of him being present in the moment.
The most exciting thing about playing shows for Hayes is the jamming and the unexpected parts where he and his band can just jam out. In those moments they play off the feeling of the crowd and are able to mess around off the script. Hayes said that those moments are the best to try out new songs and styles and that those moments are his favorite parts of the show. He and the band get excited to see how the audience reacts to them.
“We want to hear from the fans and see if they like the new stuff. Fans don’t know how much the band listens to them,” Hayes said.
Toney, who was able to get a selfie with the Hayes, said that even though Hayes is a country artist, he is diverse and plays a lot of other different songs.
“You get to experience artistry at its best,” Toney said.
Hayes and the band will be playing in Orlando May 6 and then will be back in Wisconsin to play at Summerfest on July 6 and the Washington County Fair on July 28.
