Cleveland Rolls Out the Welcome Mat for Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini at The Agora in Cleveland in March 2023 Photo by Hannah Middaugh

As The Agora in Cleveland, Ohio was gearing up to hold a sold-out show on March 15th, fans lined up hours in advance in excitement to see their favorite country singer, Kelsea Ballerini. 

Ballerini has consistently made a splash since her debut album “The First Time ” in 2015. She became the “only female country artist to hit #1 with the first three consecutive singles from a debut album.” She was inducted into the famed Grand Ole Opry in 2019, making history as the Opry’s youngest member in its nearly 100-year history at the time. From a GRAMMY nomination, 2 ACM Awards, 2 CMA Awards, an iHeartRadio Music Awards, multiple other nominations, and double-platinum and platinum singles, it’s no secret as to why Ballerini is selling out venues. 

When the doors opened at 7:00 p.m., the line cheered as they started going into The Agora. Unfortunately, the happiness was quickly quelled as AXS, the ticket system where everyone had their tickets, went down only minutes after the doors opened. For about 20 minutes, fans refreshed and questioned what was happening, until finally, the line started moving forward again as AXS came back up. 

As 8:00 p.m. quickly approached, the crowd was getting more anxious for the show to start. Everyone was talking, taking photos, and chanting for the opener, Georgia Webster, to take the stage. And finally, they were answered as Webster took the stage. 

Webster blew up on TikTok when her song “Tell Your Mom” went viral in 2020. After, Webster was approached by labels in New York and LA but decided that Nashville was the perfect place to hone her craft and stay true to herself. She signed with Sony Music and released her first major label EP “First Goodbye” in 2021. Webster has since released her second EP, “Chapter 1: Things We’re Not Saying,” along with multiple singles, and toured with Ingrid Andress before joining Ballerini on her HEARTFIRST Tour. 

Webster took the stage with her band and quickly hyped up the crowd. She sang her hits like, “Tell Your Mom,” “Not Saying,” “John Mayer Songs,” X’s,” and “I Hate Phone Calls (Long Distance Sucks).” She also sang an unreleased song, “My Ex’s Bestfriend” that had me thinking of BookTok and how much they’d love it. Webster danced around the stage and spoke about how she grew up listening to Ballerini and how she feels that “it has all come full circle.” Overall, Webster was the perfect opener for the show, and I see her becoming much more popular after this tour with Ballerini. 

After Webster, the energy of the crowd was charged with excitement as it got closer to Ballerini taking the stage. Many went to the restroom quickly, got more drinks, or just waited patiently. When Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” played loudly over the sound system, the crowd screamed the lyrics energetically and danced where they were standing or sitting. The lights went down after the song finished, and loud cheers erupted throughout The Agora. 

Ballerini appeared on stage after a brief story played over the sound system. She opened the show with “Subject To Change” in a gorgeous yellow dress with thigh-high yellow boots. She continued to sing some songs off her new album such as “Little Things” and “HEARTFIRST.” She began “HEARTFIRST” by talking about following your heart, which hyped the crowd up for the song. At one point she also said, “I want you to know…while we’re here together, ya’ll, me, us, everyone here, you are seen, loved, heard, and accepted. This is a safe place tonight.” During the first part of her set, she also sang hits from her first album, “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs,” mashing the two hits together before she went off stage for her first outfit change. 

When Ballerini reappeared on stage in a sparkling yellow tasseled jacket and romper with cowboy boots, the crowd started screaming as they knew what song was coming next: “Love Is A Cowboy.” A good chunk of the crowd had their phones out during the song which made Ballerini chuckle and say, “I can tell you guys have been on TikTok,” between the lines in the song. When it came to the part in the song that everyone was waiting for, the crowd loudly sang “With a little El Dorado, and a little bit John B,” Ballerini had to contain her laughter as everyone was on TikTok catching the lyric change Ballerini made during the previous show. “Half of my hometown,” “hole in the bottle,” “IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOING DOWN TOO),” “YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME,” and “homecoming queen” was also played during this part of Ballerini’s set. Webster joined Ballerini on stage for “homecoming queen” where they paused just as the chorus started because someone in the crowd had passed out. They made sure the concert-goer got help and water and was okay before they continued with the show. Ballerini left the stage again at the end for another outfit change, and when she appeared again, the crowd went wild as they realized what part of the set it was. 

Ballerini appeared in a black, cut-out, sequined jumpsuit and was sitting on the platformed steps on the stage. She began singing “Mountain With A View” from her new EP, “Rolling Up The Welcome Mat” as the crowd screamed the lyrics with her. She also performed “Weather,” “Penthouse,” “Blindsided,” and “Peter Pan.” At the end of “Peter Pan,” Ballerini got on a lift and was slowly moved further into the air on stage which then lead to her song, “I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN’” where she was slowly brought back down to the platform while she sang. She then left the stage again for a final outfit change. 

After reappearing in one of the balconies at The Agora in a denim, sequined jacket with a white shirt that says, “I’m Doing My Best,” and a white guitar, Ballerini talked about why she wrote the song “Leave Me Again” and why it was important to her. She performed the acoustic song on the balcony and then joined the crowd to sing her song “MUSCLE MEMORY,” while the crowd around her screamed and echoed on her mic. She made it back to the stage with the help of the venue security and continue to perform. “Miss Me More” was next and the crowd screamed the lyrics back to her. Ballerini finished the show with her song “DOIN’ MY BEST,” saying, “I spent so much of my life, you guys, just leaning into being such a people pleaser and a perfectionist and being like ‘am I showing up right?’ ‘am I saying the right things?’ and ‘am I looking okay while doing it?’ It was just taking up so much brain capacity that I missed out on my life, ya know? So now I am simply just showing up and doing my damn best.” 

Ballerini’s stage presence was phenomenal. She made sure to spend equal amounts of time at each spot on the stage, interacting with the people on the ground in front of the stage along with those on the balconies. She’s an amazing performer with beautiful stage visuals to accompany her. 

The HEARTFIRST tour ends July 1st in Phoenix, AZ. Many shows are selling out, so make sure you snag your tickets as you won’t be disappointed! Ballerini is just going to keep taking over the world with her catchy and real lyrics along with her charismatic personality. This is a performer you don’t want to miss! 

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 23, 2023