Joe Nichols performed Saturday at MemAud with a host of new tunes to accompany his old hits.
The crowd immediately got to its feet when Joe Nichols burst onto the stage of Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Saturday night.
Following opening act Joey Hyde, Nichols kicked off his part of the night with his first number-one single “Brokenheartsville.” As the audience cheered at the familiar tune, which was released in 2002, Vicky Brown, who had come from Gallipolis, held up a large poster of a picture with her and Nichols.
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“I was at the CMA awards in Nashville in 2002 and I saw him at (Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge) so that’s where this (picture) is from,” she said.
Nichols, when he saw the poster, smiled and flicked a guitar pick in the group’s direction.
Nichols started the night off with a mixture of old hits, such as “The Impossible,” and new songs off his latest album “Crickets.” Before breaking into “Love Has a Way,” Nichols turned his attention to “Larry in row R”. Nichols told the crowd to sit, and as everyone turned to watch, Larry knelt on one knee and proposed to the lady at his side.
“She said yes,” the crowd chanted over and over.
After serenading the couple with “Love Has a Way”, Nichols proceeded to “The Shape I’m In”, an emotional break-up song. After this 360 degree turn, he switched gears once more to find out if any rap fans were in the crowd.
“I can’t do what those guys do,” Nichols said. “They spit out words pretty quick. They have a completely different style than I’m used to. My theory has always been just singing that thing.”
Though he received “boos” at the suggestion of rap music from many in the crowd, Nichols strummed the opening chords of “Baby Got Back” and performed the lyrics with a deep country twang rather than rapping the lyrics.
The performance continued jumping to different tones of music, from heartfelt ballads to upbeat tunes such as the suggestive “Hee Haw”.
The set ended with swaying hands in the air as Nichols encouraged the crowd onto its feet as he sang his 2010 hit “Gimmie That Girl.” The crowd sang along until Nichols disappeared off stage.
The night was not over yet – Nichols reappeared and made sure the crowd didn’t leave before knowing the person at his or her side.
Nichols first told the crowd to pat the shoulder of the person on his or her right. Once the crowd complied, he cracked a smile as he said for the audience to try rubbing the belly of the person on his or her left.
“That part of the show is called, ‘Get to know your neighbor,’” he laughed.
Nichols followed with a much-anticipated performance of his hit “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” Earlier in the night, the crowd chanted the word “tequila” and they got their fix as Nichols hopped into the crowd and made his away all the way around the venue.
“People upstairs probably are wondering what the hell we’re doing down here,” Nichols said.
A girl sang the chorus into the microphone and Nichols returned to stage for his final song “Sunny and 75.”
Though it was her third time seeing Nichols live, Brown she said she was just as excited and pleased with the performance as previous years.
Brandon Fisher, a senior studying health administration, said he was impressed with the show.
“It was very interactive,” he said.
Nichols raised his hands up, saluted the crowd and disappeared off stage.
“It was amazing,” said Jaclyn Schumacher, a 2013 OU alumna. “We had awesome seats for one. Every seat in this place is a great view. It was a lot of fun and very accommodating.”
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