It’s been seven years since Tyler Childers won Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards in the wake of “Purgatory,” a sophomore album the critic at Record Collector felt would “have some listeners checking the sleeve to make sure they’re not playing a long lost record by The Band.”
And in many ways, he’s still emerging, carving out his own niche on the modern country landscape with music as steeped in tradition as it is distinctly Childers-esque, delivered in a thick Kentucky twang.
Two weeks shy of turning 34, the neo-traditionalist sensation drew “about 15,000 of youse” — this according to opener Hayes Carll — to an initially sweltering Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix on Sunday, June 8.
And Childers drew that crowd, impressively enough, with only one true hit to speak of — 2023’s “In Your Love,” which made it all the way to No. 7 on the country charts despite a relatively underwhelming showing on the airplay chart, where that same single peaked at No. 43.
You can see where Nashville would have trouble marketing this guy. The man has clearly got his own thing going on. He’s a true country maverick whose music would most likely have been labeled alternative country if he’d come up in the ‘90s (just as surely as it would’ve been considered outlaw country in the ‘70s).
There were times when the extended jamming ventured into territory more associated with the Grateful Dead than anything you’d hear on country radio while one of his two touring keyboard players added synthesizer, vocoder and samples to the mix without distracting from the quintessential country essence of the man’s aesthetic.
He even covered Hank Williams — the suitably gospel-flavored “The Old Country Church” — before the night was through, after setting the tone for his performance with the first of several country waltzes, S.G. Goodman’s “Space and Time.”
Tyler Childers brought naked emotion to an acoustic mini-set
Childers’ vocals on that first song were astonishingly soulful, an instantly intoxicating introduction to a set whose highlights ranged from the majestic country waltz of “Long Hard Road” to an epic rendition of “Honky Tonk Flame.”
It was during the title track to “Purgatory” that he left the stage and was escorted to a second smaller stage behind the soundboard, where he dusted off an impossibly intimate mini-set on acoustic guitar that made its way from the naked emotion of “Shake the Frost” through “Lady May,” “Nose on the Grindstone” and “Follow You to Virgie.”
That may have been the highlight of the concert for a lot of fans — or at the very least, the point at which he made his most direct emotional connection.
But there’s another side to Childers’ sense of showmanship — an altogether goofier aesthetic that’s equal parts carnival barker, televangelist and stand-up comic. He even seemed to lapse into the role of auctioneer while speed-introducing the brilliant musicians who make up the Food Stamps Band in the course of a spirited version of “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?”
By the time he and his bandmates brought the concert to a close with “Universal Sound” and “House Fire,” he’d left no doubt that he’s as good an artist as we’re likely to encounter at this moment in the history of country music, regardless of whether the establishment can get behind his artistry or not.
Tyler Childers setlist 2025: All the songs he sang in Phoenix
These are the songs that made the setlist when Tyler Childers brought his On the Road Tour to Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix:
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“Rustin’ in the Rain”
Second stage
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“Nose on the Grindstone”
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“Follow You to Virgie”
Main stage
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“Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?” (Band intros)
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“Way of the Triune God”
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tyler Childers 2025 tour is a ride down back country roads