By Sean Turney

On Saturday, the 24st of March, I had the pleasure of seeing Cooper Allen live. Cooper Allen’s show was an excellent portrait of what modern country music could be. At the start of the show, we were treated to the country star Thomas Mac, who has gained a large audience from TikTok.

Thomas Mac’s own musical styles are a hard contrast from Cooper Allen’s, yet surprisingly mixed very well with one another. Mac had a sing-a-long, joyful music style, and his set was filled with plenty of one-liner jokes to fill transitions between songs. I will say that Thomas Mac’s musical style can be redundant, as after the third sing-a-long song in a row it becomes more like a routine than a treat.

Cooper Allen’s performance came out with an electric start as he ran on stage. Allen’s music is far more in the party rock country genre. With songs like Fridge, Down to the Bar, and Can’t Dance, the following behind Cooper Allen can be understood to a deep degree. Let it not be said that Cooper Allen is hard to set to one musical genre.

Mr. Allen displayed a hard swing midway through the show as he began to speak about his relationship with his wife. He married in September of 2023 and since then has begun to explore more romantical songs that mirror the kinds of love songs heard out of Morgan Wallen. In particular his song “Take Forever (Hally’s Song)” is one that brings a tear to every eye in the room.

After this dip into love songs, Cooper Allen goes back to his more typical music. He finished the concert as he started, with energy that could be felt all over the room. However, the transition between these two genres could be worked on, in my opinion. Overall, the concert was a great experience: to get to see Cooper Allen display his “Barnyard Party” energy on a stage, as well as getting to see Thomas Mac who’s still on his rise to fame, was an experience I will never forget.