Miranda Lambert’s ‘Palomino’ Era Fully Ushered in With Tennessee Concert

Miranda Lambert marked the eve of her album Palomino‘s release with a packed Franklin, Tennessee, concert that was the perfect example of why fans love her so much. It was a big night for Lambert; not only was she awaiting reactions to Palomino, but it was only her second U.S. show in 2022, her next-to-last solo outing before a joint tour with Little Big Town, a hometown show (as she and husband Brendan Loughlin live nearby) and her only currently announced date near Nashville, the country music capital. Lambert even admitted she was a bit nervous about the concert, but, by the end, she had cemented her position as one of country music’s top acts.

Lambert was dealing with an interesting crowd, with tons of people likely making their way out to a concert for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. Furthermore, she was performing at FirstBank Amphitheater, a relatively new venue that frustrated most attendees due to its poorly planned traffic flow into the venue. (Lambert herself acknowledged “the b— of a traffic” concertgoers had to deal with on the way in.) And with it being an album release-adjacent show, she could have easily busted out lots of new songs from the record, which would have surely been nice but not exactly thrilling to the thousands who had never heard them. Lambert successfully navigated through all this and provided a hit-heavy set that sprinkled in newer singles and a couple of surprises.

The 38-year-old singer-songwriter’s hits were the focal point of the Thursday night set, with staples like “White Liar,” “Kerosene” and “Famous in a Small Town” (which actually had its music video filmed in Franklin) drawing big receptions, as one would expect. However, it was most surprising that some of her ballads brought out captive singalongs. “Vice,” “The House That Built Me” and the Palomino single “If I Was a Cowboy” were highlights, in that regard. All the while, Lambert’s vocals sound fantastic live; her voice just has a unique quality that can sometimes be watered down in her recorded material, but in the live setting, it is exactly the Miranda Lambert you want to hear.

It wouldn’t be a country show in the Nashville area without some sort of surprise guest, and Lambert offered up a special one for the Franklin show, which was held just about 30 miles south of Nashville. Her Pistol Annies bandmate Ashley Monroe — who recently revealed she was cancer-free — came out to sing “Heart Like Mine,” the 2009 song the pair wrote together with Travis Howard. It was a wonderful duet that made another Pistol Annies album high on a certain writer’s wishlist, but its follow-up was also a joy. In what Lambert noted was a last-minute idea, Jaren Johnston of opening act The Cadillac Three joined her and Monroe to cover Little Feat’s 1971 track “Willin’.” It was a bit messy, but the art of collaboration and honoring the past is part of what makes country music great in the first place.

All in all, the MuttNation Foundation founder is a fantastic artist to see live. Miranda Lambert’s got outstanding vocals and a great setlist; what else could you want? Continue on to see the full concert setlist, her docket of upcoming dates (including her Las Vegas residency), as well as some loose thoughts that didn’t quite fit in our main review.

Miranda Lambert Concert Setlist — April 29, FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee

1. “Actin’ Up”
2. “Kerosene”
3. “Fastest Girl in Town”
4. “Strange”
5. “Settling Down”
6. “Famous in a Small Town”
7. “If I Was a Cowboy”
8. “Bluebird”
9. “Only Prettier”
10. “Vice”
11. “Tin Man”
12. “The House That Built Me”
13. “Automatic”
14. “Heart Like Mine” (with Ashley Monroe)
15. “Willin’” (with Ashley Monroe and Jaren Johnston)
16. “Tequila Does”
17. “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round”
18. “Gunpowder & Lead”
19. “Mama’s Broken Heart”
20. “White Liar”
21. “Little Red Wagon”
22. “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)“

Miranda Lambert Tour Dates 

April 29 — William Green Football Stadium  |  Johnson City, Tennessee (with The Cadillac Three)
May 6 — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman  |  Houston, Texas (with Little Big Town)
May 7 — Dos Equis Pavilion  |  Dallas, Texas (with Little Big Town)
May 8 — Walmart AMP  |  Rogers, Arkansas (with Little Big Town)
May 12 — Credit One Stadium  |  Charleston, South Carolina (with Little Big Town)
May 13 — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre  |  Tampa, Florida (with Little Big Town)
May 14 — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre  |  West Palm Beach, Florida (with Little Big Town)
May 20 — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre  |  St. Louis, Missouri (with Little Big Town)
May 21 — Ruoff Music Center  |  Noblesville, Indiana (with Little Big Town)
May 22 — Riverbend Music Center  |  Cincinnati, Ohio (with Little Big Town)
June 2 — Budweiser Stage  |  Toronto, Ontario, Canada (with Little Big Town)
June 3 — DTE Energy Music Theatre  |  Detroit, Michigan (with Little Big Town)
June 4 — Blossom Music Center  |  Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (with Little Big Town)
June 9 — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater  |  Wantagh, New York (with Little Big Town)
June 10 — PNC Bank Arts Center  |  Holmdel, New Jersey (with Little Big Town)
June 11 — BB&T Pavilion  |  Camden, New Jersey (with Little Big Town)
June 24 — Country Jam | Grand Junction, Colorado
June 25 — NebraskaLand Days | North Platte, Nebraska
July 28 — Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys | Stateline, Nevada
July 29-31 — Oregon Jamboree | Sweet Home, Oregon
July 30 — Watershed Festival | George, Washington
Aug. 5 — WE Fest | Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Aug. 7 — Windy City Smokeout | Chicago Illinois

Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency Dates

September 2022  —  23, 24, 28, 30
October 2022 —  1, 5, 7, 8
November 2022  —  26, 27, 30
December 2022  —  3, 4, 8, 10, 11
March 2023  — 24, 25, 30
April 2023  — 1, 2, 6, 8, 9

Random Takeaways From the Concert:

• I know I mentioned the traffic issue, but it is really bad. I feel for the nearby homeowners who have to deal with hundreds of cars stuck in front of their houses for hours. I admittedly left before Lambert’s final song just to avoid being trapped in the leaving rush. I’m not sure what the fix is on FirstBank Amphitheater’s side, but if you’re going, plan to get there early and leave early.
  
• As a result of the traffic, I sadly missed The Cadillac Three’s set. I will defer to the guy I overheard in the restroom saying it was a good performance but “they didn’t play none of the good stuff.” That’s obviously a remarkably subjective opinion from a stranger, but, hey, he saw it, and I didn’t.
• Lambert’s Palomino singles are great and fit right in with the rest of her show. Even if you aren’t as familiar with “Actin’ Up” and “Strange,” the vibe checks out.
• Two more dope things: the LED wall visuals and Lambert’s fringe shirt.
• I absolutely hate Lambert’s recorded cover of John Prine’s “That’s the Way the World Goes Round,” but, squeezed into an upbeat portion of a setlist with the untethered sound of a live performance, it ain’t too bad.

• The combined energy of thousands of women singing the chorus of “White Liar” definitely had some two-timing partners in the crowd sweating bullets.

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