Cole Swindell, Chris Stapleton and Craig Campbell Energize Beach Concert

Cole Swindell, Chris Stapleton and Craig Campbell kicked off night one of Luke Bryan's Crash My Playa with a energetic beach concert. 

Written by Annie Reuter
Cole Swindell, Chris Stapleton and Craig Campbell Energize Beach Concert
Photo via Cole Swindell on Twitter

Country music and Mexico may not sound like they go hand and hand but after one day in Riviera Maya during Crash My Playa it is evident that country music isn’t a location but a state of mind.

Thousands of country fans headed to the warmth of Mexico this weekend for Luke Bryan’s second annual Crash My Playa festival. The four day event includes poolside performances by country artists who will grace the main beach stage later that weekend. Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton, Craig Campbell, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt and Dustin Lynch are the artists attending this year’s festivities and each rotate throughout the four evenings where they perform on the beach just outside of the Barcelo resort.

“Welcome to Crash My Playa 2016!” Luke Bryan said before he introduced Cole Swindell last night (Jan. 22). “It’s snowing in Nashville but it ain’t snowing in Mexico. Thank you so much for making this year so successful. It’s all about your experience and we hope you guys are loving it down here. First of all, we want to celebrate country music with you guys. You’re the best fans in the world. You guys have the time of your life. Let’s get this thing rockin.'”

For four hours, Swindell, Chris Stapleton and Craig Campbell had country fans raising their drinks in the air and singing along to their songs. A stage was set up on the beach and fans followed a line of palm trees to the gates entrance where the alcohol was flowing and cotton candy was handed out.

Photo by aLive Coverage

Photo by aLive Coverage

Campbell kicked off the show with a 40 minute set that spanned his hits like “Keep Them Kisses Comin” and “Fish” as well as spirited covers of Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Play Something Country.”

“It don’t get no better than this right here playing country music in Mexico on the beach,” Campbell remarked halfway through his performance.

He then played the heartfelt “Outta My Head,” which Swindell wrote. Throughout his set, Campbell came to life without wearing his signature hat, something that he admitted felt a little off. “I don’t know what to do without my hat on,” he joked. “It’s the first show I’ve ever done without my hat on.”

Chris Stapleton

Stapleton took the stage next and for an hour mesmerized the beach crowd with his powerful vocals and intricate guitar playing. Singles “Nobody to Blame,” “Traveller” and “Tennessee Whiskey” had the audience screaming while his soulful “Fire Away” impressed with slowed musical accompaniment that highlighted his soaring vocals. Later, he made Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” his own by transforming it into a country western shuffle.

While Stapleton’s talents were ignited under the full moon and stage lights, so were his wife’s. After a moving performance “Was It 26,” a song he told the crowd was written by Don Sampson on a Pizza Hut napkin, he let Morgane take the spotlight as she performed “You Are My Sunshine,” which will be featured on Dave Cobb’s upcoming concept album Southern Family. While she provided harmonies throughout the majority of Stapleton’s set, her version of “You Are My Sunshine” had the entire beach entranced.

Cole Swindell

Photo by aLive Coverage

Swindell closed the night with an 80-minute high energy set that featured songs off his debut album, his two Down Home Sessions EPs, singles he’s written for friends Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line as well as a few covers from previous tourmates Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney including “Big Green Tractor” and “Don’t Happen Twice,” which he said is the first song he ever sang in college.

By the time his performance rolled around the crowd was feeling good, as men in tuxedos kept the alcohol flowing walking around the beach handing out drinks. Girls got up on their boyfriends’ shoulders when Swindell sang “Get Up” while No. 1 hits like “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “Chillin’ It”  and “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” energized. While his intensity never wavered, songs like new single “You Should Be Here” showed Swindell’s diversity and calmed the crowd as a brief clip of the music video played in the background alongside his poignant lyrics.

After thanking Bryan for having him a second year on the Crash My Playa event, Swindell spoke fondly of last year. “2015 was the best year of my life . . . You’re the best fans in the world. We wouldn’t be able to do this without you. This is just night one. We’ll see you tomorrow by the pool.”

Crash My Playa runs through Jan. 26. We’ll be providing daily recaps and interviews with the artists from Mexico so stay tuned!