You guys, I was SO EXCITED for this concert! I’ve seen Bailey open for Morgan Wallen twice, so I knew he brought the energy and when the chance to be this close presented itself, I just couldn’t resist!
When pre-sale tickets went on sale on September 11th, 2025, I honestly was just checking ticket prices for funsies. I decided if I found a good deal, would think about buying a couple, since I hadn’t really planned on buying any and didn’t know who/if anyone would be interested in going. I checked a few seated tickets, and then thought about how much fun Hanna and I had in the pits at Warren Zieders and decided to see how much they were, just for giggles. When I clicked it, they came up as $115 each, all in pricing. I honestly didn’t believe my eyes, something had to be wrong! I made it all the way to check-out with 2 tickets and decided it was legit and pulled the trigger! I WAS SO PUMPED!!! Bailey Zimmerman is one of my top favorite artists! I texted the group chat with Nikki, Hanna and I, and asked if either of them wanted to go. Nikki actually responded first, but later told Hanna if she wanted to go, she could.
When it got closer, Nikki regretted not getting a third ticket to go with us. I took the whole day of the concert (April 16th) off work to get some extra sleep and clean the house before Hanna got there. The doors opened at 6, so we planned on getting there early enough to get a good parking spot, an early dinner, and drinks, since this is the first time we have had a chance to do so since Hanna turned 21. We left my house around 2pm, since its only 45 minutes to the venue from my house. This is when it got interesting 😅 We were 3 minutes from our destination (according to GPS) and I heard a noise. One that I kind of thought was a different car passing us, but didn’t fade or go away as we were moving. Then I noticed my tire pressure light and turned on my hazards. I pulled off to the side of the expressway, and Hanna was confused. I had somehow blown the rear drivers side tire 🫠
I immediately called Nate, who told me to check if I have a spare, and I did. He then told me I could either try to find roadside assistance or change the tire myself. I took 2 years of auto shop in high school, so I do know how to change a tire, and honestly considered it for a minute. Hanna asked me not to, and I figured on the side of a very busy expressway was probably not the best place to try out my skills that I haven’t used in 10+ years (when did I get so old 🥴). So Nate sent me contact info for one company with good reviews for roadside assistance, and when I called them they told me they did not have a driver. I then tried calling AAA, but couldn’t get anywhere with the robot because I’m not a member. The third company I called said they could help, but their driver was in the middle of a tow at the moment and wouldn’t be able to head our way for at least 45 minutes, and they would call before they did so. Hanna and I sat in the car and talked about life, just waiting for the phone to ring.
An hour passed, and they hadn’t called, so we called back to see if they were still coming. He said his guy was dropping his tow right now and should be to us in 30 minutes. So we waited some more. Then, something really unfortunate happened: I had to pee. I sat there doing a potty dance for a while, while Hanna begged me not to pee my pants. I really didn’t want to, but we were in the middle of a busy highway that was also in the middle of a pretty residential area. Popping a squat on the side of the road wasn’t an option, and neither was trying to o walk to gas station or party store. But it was getting to the point that I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it, and the tow guy was supposed to show up any minute, so I did what I had to do. I got in the back seat, and peed in a mason jar I happened to have in my car 🫣 As you can imagine, this is NOT an easy task, but I’m not exaggerating when I say I FILLED that jar. I felt much better while we continued waiting. We ended up waiting another 30-40 minutes for the guy to show up after that, but when he did finally come he was super nice, and got the tire changed for us really quick.
When we got to the venue, it was 5:55pm, and the line was wrapped around the building next to it. We had planned on being in line by at least 4, but thanks to certain events, that didn’t happen. When the doors opened at 6, the line actually moved pretty fast. The restroom was first on our list when we got in, so I could wash my hands and Hanna had to go. Right outside the bathroom was a line for drinks, and after our fiasco, we both needed one. Then we waited in line for food, because we were starving, but this was the slowest moving line we were in. We each got a hot dog and another drink, and went to find our spots in the pit.
We were able to get close to the front of the right stage, but still kind of far from the main middle stage. Since I had seen Bailey before, I knew that he is the kind of artist that goes all over the stage, so I knew we would get our moment. We hadn’t been in our spots any more than 5 minutes when the first opener came out, Blake Whiten. I knew a couple of his songs, so it was cool to see him. He has a really unique voice in person that doesn’t translate the same in recordings. The next opener was someone named Hudson Westbrook. I had never heard of him before that day, but Hanna was really excited to see him. She had played some of his songs in the car on our way there for me. Both of the openers sounded great live, but Hudson definitely brought more energy to the stage than Blake did. In one of my videos below, you can see that Hudson actually gave his phone to some girls in the pit next to us that had a flag with him on it. It was crazy! There was a mother/daughter duo on the other side of us, and the mom kept saying how cute Hudson was. Then he did a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” and that really got everyone pumped up! When he was done with his set, I ran to the bathroom and Hanna was making friends with the mother and daughter that were next to us. When I got back, I joined the conversation for a minute, and then the lights dimmed again!
Leave it to Bailey Zimmerman to have a crazy awesome concert entrance! ➡️ It set the tone for the rest of the night and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! He was running and jumping around while he was singing, looking like he was having the time of his life right along with us. He did tell us that Huntington Center was the first arena he ever played in 2022, opening for Brooks and Dunn, so the night was special for him as well. Bailey did a lot of songs from his new album (obviously) but he also played his older songs that originally made me start listening to him. That was actually probably around 2022 as well, when I went on the road trip to SC with my coworker. I remember listening to “Fall in Love” on the way there, which he performed for us. He also did a cover of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, and I think he killed it!
Bailey was on stage for almost 2 hours, but it didn’t feel like it, and I didn’t want it to end. I had such a good time, and Hanna said she did too. We left around 11pm, stopped at a Taco Bell, and took back roads home since I was driving on the donut. If I ever get the chance to be in the pit at another Bailey Zimmerman concert, you better believe that is where you will find me! I think this is my favorite concert I’ve ever been to.
