07/02/2026

Lainey Wilson – Spark Arena: February 6, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)

Grammy-winning Country star Lainey Wilson and her band blew into Auckland, bringing their Whirlwind World Tour to life in front of a very appreciative, sold-out audience who came to see and be seen.

Indeed, the incoming crowd, particularly the females, were dressed in their Country-best…Cowboy boots, hat and accessories…in fact, there is a website that advises fans on what to wear to Lainey’s Whirlwind Tour…Opt for flared jeans or pants paired with a fringed top or a rhinestone-studded vest. Accessorize with oversized belt buckles and a wide-brimmed hat to complete the look.

It looked as though the majority of the audience members had read the manual…even the little ones.

I missed opening act Kaitlin Butts’ set but caught her as she also performed with Flatland Cavalry…she’s married to lead singer Cleto Cordero….and also with Lainey…taking Miranda Lambert’s part on Good Horses…and she sounded just fine.

Flatland Cavalry

From Lubbock, Texas, Flatland Cavalry are a six-piece band that has been plying its trade since 2012.

Cleto Cordero is the frontman while guitarist Reid Dillon seems to hold down the fort musically, along with fiddle player Wesley Hall. And I couldn’t help notice drummer Jason Albers’ inventive and powerful fills.

Had this been 1976, Flatland Cavalry would have been considered a Southern Rock band, falling somewhere between The Marshall Tucker Band and The Charlie Daniels Band, with a hint of Little River Band.

But this is 2026 and Country and Rock are almost interchangeable. And so, Flatland Cavalry rocked…they are from Lubbock, after all…and wrapped their 40-minute set with traditional gospel song I’ll Fly Away…rocked up, appropriately.

Lainey Wilson

By now, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind Tour is a well-oiled machine…most likely made by John Deere.

The tour began almost a year ago in Switzerland before sweeping through North America. So by now, Lainey and Co have about 45 shows under their collective belts.

The setlist for this, their first show since November hadn’t changed much…in fact it was identical to what came before save one song…a new one called Can’t Sit Still…that we were treated to during the acoustic portion of the show and one that will probably be featured in Lainey’s upcoming Netflix doco, Keepin’ Country Cool.

If this all sound very calculated, then so be it, but the show itself was almost two hours of unadulterated joy.

Lainey was clearly thrilled to be here…it was her first time in New Zealand…and she bolted from the Grammys (where she turned heads on the red carpet with fellow NZ tourist Chappell Roan) and made a point of getting here in plenty of time to overcome any jet lag.

That she did.

In fact, it felt that, by the end of the nearly two-hour et, Lainey could have gone for another two…but it was the audience who needed a rest after standing, singing, waving and dancing along all night.

The setlist weighed heavy on Lainey’s latest album, Whirlwind, featuring almost all of it.

Highlights…well they seemed endless…Watermelon Moonshine got some audience members up and line dancing, while Peace, Love and Cowboys gave Lainey a chance to find a “Cowgirl of the Night”, a young girl called “Sage” who was cute as a button. And was encouraged by Lainey to repeat… “I am beautiful, I am smart, I can do anything”…sure its an easy heart-tugger but it works!

And Lainey’s band is second to none.

They are: Kevin Nolan (guitar/dobro), Tommy Scifres (bass), Aslan Freeman (guitar/bandleader), Sav Madigan (fiddle/pedal steel/guitar) and drummer Matt Nolan.

We got to know (and see) them a little better during the acoustic section of the show that came at around the one hour mark of the set and featured the new song, Can’t Sit Still, along with a chance for Lainey to tell us a little about who she is, where’s she’s from and to show off her new engagement ring.

The show ran like clockwork…no tech issues, no awkward moments, just a well-paced, well-played, night of pickin’ and grinnin’.

The Whirlwind blows through Christchurch next…grab your hat and your boots and discover why Country’s Cool Again.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Jeong:

Lainey Wilson: