Review: Country star Parker McCollum was all about good hooks, good looks, good guitars

Flipping the script on Kelsea Ballerini from two weeks ago at Target Center, Parker McCollum checks all the right boxes for a male country star making his first headline arena tour:

He’s also got bold managers and agents. McCollum performed Thursday at the 9,200-capacity Amsoil Arena in Duluth and then headed down on Friday to 18,000-capacity Target Center in Minneapolis. Which major artist plays those two Minnesota cities on back-to-back nights? Does it boost or dilute one’s drawing power?

McCollum drew only about 8,000 fans Friday but they sang along, cheered enthusiastically and walked away happy about his female-friendly, ballad-and-bops, post-bro country music.

While Ballerini sparkled with personality, production and passion, McCollum was all about good hooks, good looks and good guitars. His production was pretty low-key, just a short runway, a barren staircase used sparingly and a big screen backdrop filled with videos of hurricanes, highways and skylines.

His personality was pretty low-key, too. During the 90-minute, encore-less performance, the 32-year-old Texan talked about playing at the Minneapolis Armory two years ago and then working out at the Lifetime Fitness at the Timberwolves arena, dreaming about performing there.

With his dream coming true on Friday (though he said he was disappointed that Wolves star Anthony Edwards wasn’t in the building), McCollum proudly trotted out his 6-month-old son and wife early in his set, kissed them both and promised they’d be asleep in about five minutes. Aww.

Later, McCollum talked about meeting David, a fan at the preshow meet and greet, who had lost his father a few months ago. Explaining that “songs are how feelings sound,” McCollum dedicated the “Rest of My Life” to David, singing about lamenting over a relationship but believing that eventually things are gonna be alright.

McCollum focused on material from his two MCA Nashville albums but also offered tunes from his early independently released records.

In his post pro-country world, McCollum doesn’t sing about drinking beer, riding in pickup trucks or partying with young women in tight jeans. Instead, he sings about being downhearted. So much for the happy family man. Art doesn’t imitate his current life.

He sure likes to sing lots of songs blaming himself for screwing up relationships. And he’s not exactly Mr. Forgiveness, but rather Mr. How Stupid Was I or Mr. Insecure or Mr. Incomplete. Color him tall, hot and wussy.

Devoid of any au-courant-in-Nashville hints of hip-hop, his material included piano ballads and medium tempo songs framed with glistening guitars, equal parts rock and country, kind of like the Eagles as heartland rockers (without the gorgeous vocals and harmonies).

McCollum showed a tendency Friday to shout rather than sing, with a Woody Harrelson-like voice delivering plainspoken lyrics with a modest emotional resonance.

Backed by a seven-person band including ace background vocalist Aubrie Sellers, McCollum stood out on the Wallflowers-like “Wait Outside,” the rocking “What Kinda Man,” the sing-along ballad “Hell of a Year” and the buoyant, steel guitar-kissed “Meet You in the Middle,” his best vocal of the night. All were songs of self-doubt.

Like Ballerini did, McCollum brought two lesser known newcomers to open the evening.

North Carolinian Kameron Marlowe, 27, who competed on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2018, came across like a blustery Chris Stapleton. A confident, arena-ready performer, he ignited the crowd with his disparate covers of Toby Keith’s 2002 rouser “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” during which everyone stood like it was a national anthem, and Teddy Swims’ recent No. 1 pop salvo “Lose Control.”

Texas singer/songwriter William Beckmann, 28, showed an appealing voice, a top-notch band and a winning honkytonk romp “She Can’t Be Found.” Unfortunately, he performed in front of a backdrop that said “Kameron Marlowe,” not the most professional situation.