Kelsea Ballerini
Article by: Brittany Ormiston
“You ready to start packing?” asked Kelsea Ballerini after emerging from a pile of luggage, and strutting across the stage to her microphone stand adorned top to bottom in multi-colored gems. With her gold bejeweled outfit and boots matching in perfect fashion, flying baggage took over the screen. “Clear out a drawer, clear out a shelf // I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else,” sang Kelsea during ‘Baggage.’ Once the track ended, she took a moment to take in the crowd and express her gratitude for her first ever arena tour. She mentioned after getting off stage every night, she checks back in with her 12 year old self who used to dream of doing exactly this. Talk about the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane…
Kelsea jumped right into ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ and ‘HEARTFIRST.’ She stomped around in her gold boots as the lyrics in the shape of a heart appeared behind her. Line dancing with her backup vocalists during ‘hole in the bottle’ was the perfect touch right before she disappeared into the floor. Once returning in her purple glitter outfit with flower ties, Kelsea took her power back with ‘Miss Me More’ and the fierce bass drum in tow. The fire shooting straight into the air during the chorus added a dramatic effect, and the audience could feel the heat. She put 110% into her performance to the point where she busted her lip open, and had to pause the show after the track ‘We Broke Up’ to get it checked out. Kelsea brushed it off like the queen she is, and read signs in the crowd held up by fans. After receiving personalized art of her dog Dibs, she took a picture with a little girl who has had several open-heart surgeries. She made it a point to not miss Kelsea performing this evening in Columbus despite all she’s gone through.
With tears being wiped away, fans throughout the arena stepped into their healing era. During ‘First Rodeo,’ a visual depicting a fast-moving carousel descended from the ceiling and Kelsea emerged in the center of it. As the song progressed, the carousel transitioned to the background amidst the ocean with similarities to the PATTERNS album artwork. “I fell off, babe, but I found you // Take my heart, but take it slow // ‘Cause this ain’t my first rodeo,” sang Kelsea with every word filled with endless emotion. ‘First Rodeo’ is “all about embracing fragility, hope, and getting back on the horse.” After performing several tracks depicting her healing journey, Kelsea revealed she “loves writing about the universal feeling of being disappointed and heartbroken.” However, now she is head-over-heels in love and her new music reflects just that. She recorded a new song this week inspired by her current partner, Chase Stokes, the man who built her back up after heartbreak. Kelsea performed the unreleased track with only an acoustic guitar, and let her vocals shine as bright as the north star.
Ending the night with ‘Penthouse’ was a real treat, and exceeded expectations for all. The track details a relationship falling apart despite it looking perfect on paper, and later meeting someone new who is a breath of fresh air. After the bridge concluded, Kelsea paused and smiled ear-to-ear in anticipation of what lay ahead. “I kissed someone new last night // But now I don't know where you're sleeping, baby // We got along real nice, until I wanted out, now I know you hate me,” shouted Kelsea and fans in perfect unison. What an adrenaline rush. After witnessing one of the most visually appealing shows with a setlist of pure gold, we are all unapologetically in love with Miss Kelsea Ballerini.
Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH on February 1, 2025
Photos by Everly Ormiston from crowd on Sony RX100 VII
