Concert review: Tyler Childers w/ Wednesday | 07.09.26, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (with photo gallery)

Photo of Tyler Childers by Laura Jerele

Let’s just check the boxes right up front, shall we? Super-hot summer night? Check. Sold-out crowd? You betcha. Cowboy hats absolutely everywhere? Obviously. Did it even manage to rain on us at one point? Sure did, and honestly, I don’t think a single person cared. If anything, it just added to the whole sweaty, glorious mess of a night.

St. Louis youth came out in FORCE for this one. I’ll admit I had no real concept of how massively popular Tyler Childers has become until I found out this wasn’t even a fluke and that the last time he played Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, he sold that show out, too. This man is not a secret anymore, if he ever was one.

What made the night even more interesting was the diverse bill he put together. This wasn’t a country-fest. It included openers Wednesday, who felt way more punk and indie rock than anything you’d call country or folk, and yet somehow the pairing just worked. What I loved most was looking around and seeing how many young women were there specifically for Wednesday, soaking up that coveted opening slot, singing every word, snapping photos, watching a band they clearly love get to play a stage that big. That’s a great feeling to witness.

Then Tyler Childers came out and did the whole thing completely unassumingly. The lights dropped, a two-minute countdown hit the screens, and by the time it ticked down to 10…9… the entire sold-out amphitheater was counting along together at the top of their lungs.

Childers walked out in a camo shirt topped with a cardigan, looking like a guy who forgot there were thousands of people in front of him (and  maybe even also forgot it was SUMMER!)! No “look at me,” no pomp and circumstance, no bullshit. It was just heart. And yet, the stage he was standing on was an entirely different story. Massive. Multilevel. Multi-stages. Decked out like a vintage basement, complete with synchronized lamps, couches, small details to catch your eye like statues and tchotchkes, and a lighting rig that honestly would’ve made Metallica jealous. The contrast between Childers’ totally understated presence and that Metallica-grade production was fantastic. This Snipe Hunt Tour production is just fantastic, and it was a stellar show. 

The crowd itself was a beautiful mashup of millennials and zeds, everybody decked out in their finest cowboy-ish attire, and/or some cosplay version of it. Boots absolutely everywhere. And the second he started playing, nobody skipped a beat, every single person around me knew seemed to know every word to every damn song. People came to have a glorious time, which included singing along at the top of their lungs, and that is exactly what happened.

Also, shoutout to whoever’s been signing the checks at this venue, because it does NOT feel like Riverport anymore. They’ve clearly put real money into upgrading the place to give a ton of vibe: string lights everywhere, way less concrete, more actual community space to hang out in. I loved watching people wander and explore the venue instead of just being stuck in a seat or camped out on the lawn the whole night. They even had live music playing right as you walked in the gates. It felt like the whole night, start to finish, was built for people who actually love live music. And it showed. And I love to see it! | Laura Jerele

If you weren’t there, here’s what ya missed!

Eatin’ Big Time
Shake the Frost
Down Under
All Your’n
Oneida
Jersey Giant
Dirty Ought Trill
Tirtha Yatra
Born Again
Tulsa Turnaround
Lady May
Nose on the Grindstone
Follow You to Virgie
Bitin’ List
Whitehouse Road
Honky Tonk Flame
Way of the Triune God
Snipe Hunt
House Fire
Universal Sound
Heart You’ve Been Tendin’