Shay Mooney Overcome With Emotion at Dan + Shay’s Nashville Show [Review]

Dan + Shay brought an earthquake of sound that echoed throughout a sold-out Bridgestone arena show on Thursday (March 21). The hometown show was a stop on the duo’s Heartbreak on the Map Tour, their 11th show of their tour so far.

“From the bottom of our hearts, Nashville, this means more to use than you will ever know,” Smyers declared at the top of the show. The posture of gratitude was effervescent between the two.

“You’re going to hear us say thank you a lot,” Mooney expressed. “It feels pretty crazy to be standing here on this stage, in a place that we believe in so much; to have the place believe in us means so much.”

The hitmakers took the stage with only their silhouettes showing through the shimmer of the bellowing smoke around them. As the crowd’s excitement grew, they opened a capella with their lead single, “Save Me the Trouble” off their latest album, Bigger Houses.

At the top of the show, the set was simple. Dan + Shay stood on an LED stage shaped in the pair’s famous “+”, which danced with color and graphic shapes as they sang.

Up until the end of the second song, the band were hidden behind a thin curtain, only allowing their shadows to show. Then, the tone of the show shifted. By the third song, the curtain dropped to expose the full band, and two colossal LED blocks.

There was no denying that the two know how to engage and electrify a crowd. Their fans could hardly wait to stand up and sing along. By the second song, even the top deck was on their feet swaying to the lyrics.

There were familiar faces in the crowd cheering Mooney and Smyers on. In addition to their families, many of their local friends filled the seats of the arena. Even Mooney’s middle son was in attendance and had a specific request for Dad: to join him on stage.

Donning a little cowboy hat and boots, Ames ran to his dad, smiling at the crowd as Mooney engaged with the fans.

The duo conquered a burly 22-song set, holding their vocal stamina and physical energy throughout the whole show.

Toward the end of their set, and still serving a packed house, they deviated from one of their songs and hit a cult classic. As they bolted through the sea of fans, they treated the audience with a high-energy number by the Killers: “Mr. Brightside.”

The night concluded with “Speechless” and “Tequila.” Throughout the night, both Mooney and Smyers had consistently nothing but endless energy.

Overcome by the magnitude of the ear-ringing cheers after they concluded “Speechless,” Mooney, tearful of the reaction, dropped to his knee. The crowd only continued to express their delight with applause — all to which you could catch a glimpse of both Smyers and Mooney misty-eyed.

Their impressive catalog of songs dripped endlessly throughout the show, with songs that have been tentpoles in their career, including “Tequila” and “Speechless,” while bringing their latest hits from Bigger Houses.

Fans didn’t have to say the show was spectacular; they showed it by staying a packed house until the very last note.

Dan + Shay in Nashville: The Heartbreak on the Map Tour Set List:

1. “Save Me the Trouble”
2. “Alone Together”
3. “All to Myself”
4. “Breakin’ Up With a Broken Heart”
5. “Show You Off”
6. “Heaven + Back”
7. “You”
8. “I Should Probably Go to Bed”
9. “How Not To”
10. “Heartbreak on the Map”
11. “We Should Get Married”
12. “From the Ground Up”
13. “Always Gonna Be”
14. “10,000 Hours”
15. “My Side of the Fence”
16. “Glad You Exist”
17. “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers)
18. “19 You + Me”
19. “Nothin’ Like You”
20. “Bigger Houses”
21.“Speechless’
22. “Tequila”