Rising star Hunter Hayes leads high-energy concert

By Emily Hendricks

Southeast Missourian

The Show Me Center was the scene of high-energy mania as another country music concert -- headlined by Grammy-winner Hunter Hayes -- was brought to Cape Girardeau on Friday night.

Nearly everyone in the packed venue stood as each of the performers -- Dan + Shay, Danielle Bradbery and Hayes -- took the stage for their respective sets and rarely sat back down for the rest of the evening.

The We Are Not Invisible Tour featured close to three hours of nonstop music with long guitar solos from Hayes, strong singing by Bradbery and energy by Dan + Shay.

Dan + Shay is a duo of Dan Smyers and Shane Mooney -- songwriters who have composed for country artists Rascal Flatts who released their first single as a duo, "19 You + Me," in October. Their debut album, "Where It All Began" was released April 1, and they plan to open for Blake Shelton's Ten Times Crazier Tour later this year.

Bradbery is the newcomer who won NBC's "The Voice" in 2013. At 17 years old, the native Texan was the youngest to win the competition. Her debut album, "Danielle Bradbery," was released right after Thanksgiving after appearing on Brad Paisley's Beat This Summer Tour.

Judging by audience response, the showstopper was Hayes. Running onstage in a burst of energy that rarely dissipated for more than a song or two, he kept the show lively and his fans screaming.

The Louisianian received his first guitar from actor Robert Duvall when he was 6 years old, performed with Hank Williams Jr. before he could tie his shoes, and was invited to play for Bill Clinton at a White House lawn party when he was barely 7 years old.

Now 22, Hayes recently became a touring headliner -- something he made clear he was still in awe of. Evoking the names of a few of his artistic heroes, including Garth Brooks and Keith Urban, he told fans doing an arena tour was a dream come true.

Then he told the fans to go crazy.

"This is your show!" he shouted. "Sing at the top of your lungs!"

He said he was always the one in a concert audience singing along to every word -- even if he didn't know the correct words -- and he was OK if anyone that night wanted to do the same. He told spectators to "rewrite the song however you see fit."

Hayes is using his tour to to spread awareness about the hunger in America by working with the Child Hunger Stops Here organization. He's doing everything from radio spots to participating in fundraisers and food bank supply movements.

His new album, "Storyline," will be released May 6.