Tucker Wetmore Brings an Effervescent Energy to Billboard Country Live

Kaitlin Butts started off Friday’s edition of Billboard Country Live with plenty of spitfire, fiddle and verve, including “Hunt You Down,” which she called a “love song but with a thinly veiled threat.” She also offered an unapologetic grit and perspective, saying, “If they don’t love you exactly how you are you shouldn’t have to be around those people, family or not,” before launching into “Blood.” From there Butts, who makes a cameo in Ella Langley’s video for “Choosin’ Texas,” turned in a scathing version of the classic “In The Pines,” eliciting a particularly rowdy appreciation from the crowd. She closed out her set with “Never Really Mine” followed by her viral hit “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me).”

Duo Something Out West, formed by Chet Hanks and Drew Arthur, played their first full-band show in Nashville when they stepped onstage at Category 10 Friday afternoon. They blended smooth rock and country sounds on songs like “You Better Run” and “Leaving Hollywood.” They also mixed things up by performing a few cover songs, including Jamey Johnson’s “In Color” mixed with Kid Rock’s “Only God Knows Why.” Hanks’ grizzled vocal particularly stood out on the catchy “Pour One Out.” 

Alana Springsteen just released a new project, I Hope This Helps, which delves into cathartic songs and musings on acceptance, love, regrets and dreams. Appropriately, her set started with a recording of her voice naming hopes and wishes for listeners for bravery, acceptance and friendship. Her rock-threaded songs juxtaposed an edgy musical tapestry with lyrics that exposed raw, vulnerable emotion. “This one goes out to all your shitty exes,” she said before tearing into “You Don’t Deserve a Country Song.” She also offered “Ghost in My Guitar” and her Gold-certified “Goodbye Looks Good On You.” She then got the crowd singing along to a slowed down version of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” She dedicated her own song, “Black Sheep” from her new album, to “all the ones who color outside the lines.”

Stella Lefty has soared on the Billboard’s pop and country charts and swiftly earned a strong following of fans thanks to her breakthrough hit “Boston” and her slate of other pop-country tracks. She launched her set with the bubbly “Thinkin Bout You.” Her exuberant, youthful energy abounded during her set, as she set about dancing, swaying and twirling to the upbeat, sweet songs including “Good at Leaving,” You Were Mine” and “I Know I Know.” One of the highlights was when she brought out duo Dan + Shay to sing their hit “Tequila.” Together, the three brought a natural synergy, with Lefty’s warm vocal pairing nicely with the Shay Mooney and Dan Smyers’ tight harmonies. Then she returned to center stage to perform “Something To Lose” (sans boyfriend Vincent Mason) and finished her set with her massive crossover hit, “Boston.”

Braxton Keith turned Category 10 into a honkytonk with his engaging twangy country tunes. The Texan opened with the finger-snapping “Real Damn Deal,” which if there had been room, the crowd would have broken out into line dancing. Keith, who is part of a new traditionalist movement, showed he’s definitely the real deal with the mid-tempo twirler, “Gonna Come Back as a Country Song.” He slowed the tempo down with the heartbreak song, “Chase You Down,” following up with the endearing “A Little Bit Closer,” which takes a chance on love on the dance floor. He followed the theme of love’s foibles with “Cozy,” showing off his strong vocals. Keith finished with the hilarious, jangly “I Own This Bar” and the western swing charmer “I Ain’t Tryin.’”

Ashley Cooke, whose self-titled album comes out Aug. 14, delivered an enjoyable, confident set that showed off the range of her talent. She opened with the fun, flirty “Excuses,” followed by the defiant “The Hell You Are.” The course of true love seldom runs smoothly, Cooke showed, delving into her new cheating song, “Xs.” She then stripped it down with the beautiful, emotional “It’s Been a Year” from 2022. She appropriately shifted to an ode to the gorgeous June evening with an upbeat cover of Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights,” which she recorded with the trio in 2025. She followed “High School Sweetheart” with the languid “Baby Blues,” and was joined by surprise guest comedian Matt Rife, who she sweetly sang the last verse to. Cooke closed with “Your Place,” which she took to No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2024, leading the crowd in a singalong.

The Raleigh native opened, appropriately enough, with “My Bar,” advising anyone seeing their ex to remember that the bar belonged them. She then dipped into her most recent album, October’s Things You Didn’t See, with “Cecilia,” which interpolates Simon & Garfunkel’s 1970 hit of the same name. She followed with a medley of three pop songs, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True.” Block then debuted a song she’s never played live, Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” which is having a resurgence from the ‘90s viral trend. Block, who moved to Nashville when she was 17 “with 50 bucks to my name,” closed with the fun, catchy “Fake Names” and her breakthrough hit, 2020’s “Just About Over You.”

Dressed from head to toe in sparkly denim, Alexandra Kay led her three-piece band through a tight set with rockers “Feminine Energy” and “Backroad Therapy,” before slowing it down for the heartbreaking divorce drama, 2023’s “Painted Him Perfect,” which deserved to find a bigger audience given its relatable subject matter. She lightened the mood with her own lighthearted “Tomorrow Problems,” before segueing into Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” turning Category 10 into a big singalong. Kay talked about touring with Jelly Roll and Tim McGraw, coming through a tough divorce to only find herself more in love than ever with her guitarist, Rocko Beall, because singing the delicate “Everleave.” Kay ended her strong set with her rising Country Airplay hit, the driving “Straight For the Heart.”

Tucker Wetmore closed out a festive day with a quick-paced, high energy set that showed off his voice, his chest, his dance moves and his musical chops. Opening with “Proving Me Right,” Wetmore had the crowd eating out of his hand from the start, singing along to every word, even to album cuts like boisterous country rocker “Break First.” Wetmore roamed every corner of the stage during the upbeat numbers, while staying in place for darker, slower songs, like “Wine Into Whiskey, his 2024 breakthrough hit about the damage he wrought in a relationship.

Wetmore sat down only to play the keyboards for his faithful version (and concert staple) of The Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” into Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” and Train’s “Drops of Jupiter,” which got the crowd waving their arms in unison. He returned to his own material and the dancing with his current single, the sun-drenched, easy-going “Sunburn.” He led the audience in a little primal scream therapy to get out all bad things in their heads before leading them in the swaying “3-2-1,” which he took to No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

He then debuted a new song, the driving, catchy “Who Told You That.”  Wetmore moved to Nashville in 2020 when he was 20, calling it “the scariest thing he’s ever done,” before expressing gratitude for the tremendous support he’s received from fans, who helped turn songs like” Wind Up Missing You,” into a huge hit.  Following a faithful reading of that tune, he closed with his recent No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, the tongue-twisting, delightfully frenetic “Brunette” (though he skipped the trumpet intro he played at Nissan Stadium the night before).