Country music star and award-winning songwriter Jameson Rodgers performed at Brick Street Bar this past Wednesday, kicking off his 2022  “Cold Beer Calling My Name” tour.

“You get to play all over the place, but there’s just a different energy in a college town,” Rodgers said in a pre-concert interview. 

As Brick Street was filled with college students in cowboy hats and country attire, the attendees were excited to see Rodgers perform. Some even went as far as trying to aggressively push their way to the front.

“We love him!” a group of students said in unison, as they gathered for the show.

The group of friends’ favorite songs were “You Won’t,” “Good Dogs,” “Some Girls” and “Cold Beer Calling My Name.”

While some people already knew Rodgers as an artist, others just liked the thought of going to a concert. 

“I know a couple songs,” third-year student Courtney Kolenda said. “But I’m just going for fun.”

Rodgers, his manager and his booking agent ultimately chose to perform at Brick Street because it worked out with the routes of his tour. He mentioned he had a great experience performing at the bar in the past.

“We already had Chicago and St. Louis booked,” Rodgers said. “We were like, ‘Where’s somewhere within eight hours that we love to play that could route with these states?’ I played Oxford a few years back, and I just remember it being a blast.”

While Brick Street invites country music singers to perform, it’s usually artists who aren’t as well known or are just starting to gain some recognition. 

Even though he just released his first studio album last year, which ranked No. 23 in Billboard’s U.S. Top Country Albums, Rodgers has already made a pretty big name in the country music industry with his writing credits.

He received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation Leon Brettler Award in 2014, and Music Row’s Discovery Artist of the Year award in 2020. He also was named one of Pandora’s “Country Artists to Watch” in 2018.

He has co-penned platinum-selling hits with Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane. He also has experience with performing in front of large arena audiences with Luke Combs and at Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Playa” festival. 

He recently revealed that he co-wrote a song on Dustin Lynch’s fifth studio album, “Blue In The Sky.”

Despite Rodgers’ success, he said he prefers performing in front of the smaller crowds, as he feels more energy and reaction from the audience. 

“It sounds weird, but at this moment in my career, I would rather play in a smaller venue where everybody knows who I am, as opposed to a huge venue where not many people know who I am,” he said. “But anytime you get to step out on a stage is awesome.”

Rodgers said he likes the energy of college students, which helped him decide to return to Brick Street to perform again.

“They bring all the energy,” he said. “They’re ready to go. I remember it being rowdy and fun, and that’s always a good thing to have when you’re playing a show.”

Wednesday nights are country-themed at Brick Street and are a fan-favorite at the popular Uptown bar. Some people even discovered their favorite artists by going to country night.

“I really like country music,” Kolenda said. “I feel like Morgan Wallen came here, and now I love Morgan Wallen.” 

Some students like the atmosphere of country nights. It’s a lot less crowded than a Saturday night. 

Rodgers has two notable songs. He opened with “Cold Beer Calling My Name,” which he sings with Luke Combs, and he closed with “Some Girls,” which has over 80 million streams on Sirius XM’s The Highway. 

He also covered Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You,” which he co-wrote, and one of his bandmates covered country classic “Tennessee Whiskey.”

“The last time I played [at Brick Street], I wasn’t even close to having a hit as a country music singer,” Rodgers said. “I feel like it’ll be even more fun this time.”

His favorite song to perform is “Missing One,” another single of his that has been on country radio.

“It’s just never gotten old to me,” Rodgers said. “We just look forward to playing it as a band every night. It just rocks, the lyrics hit home, and it’s been a fan favorite for a while. Hopefully more and more people are going to know it throughout the year as it climbs the charts.”

Although he is going on tour with 27 stops across the country from February through August, Rodgers is still writing. 

“I put a record out in September, and I’m going to try to put some more music out this year,” he said. “I’ve been writing a ton, and I’m about to go in and record some new music in the next few months.”

And with that, Rodgers stepped out onstage in front of screaming fans, sharing all the energy and excitement with the crowd.