Tyler Childers brings his idea of country music to sold-out Star Lake concert

Tyler Childers considers himself a country artist, plain and simple — not Americana or alt country. Just country.

The Kentucky native’s style of music doesn’t really fit into the mold of modern/commercial country, leading to not a lot of radio airplay. (When Childers’ “In Your Love” cracked the Billboard Country Airplay in January for his first Top 50 hit, even fellow country star Zach Bryan expressed his disbelief that it took that long.)

With that said, Childers showed radio “hits” aren’t necessary to sell out concerts, as he packed the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on a slightly chilly Sunday night. (The merch stands were doing brisk business on the $70 hoodies as the show drew close.)

It was a far cry from Childers’ first gig in Pittsburgh, when he opened with an acoustic set for Mipso in 2017 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square for “150 bucks and some drink tickets.”

“There’s a few more people here than there were at the Hard Rock,” Childers said as he looked into the crowd.

Childers played a nearly two-hour set that encompassed bluegrass, honky tonk, roots rock, folk and more, with his evolving version of country more Kentucky/Appalachian than the Nashville variety. His backing band, known as the Food Stamps, featured Pittsburgh native Craig Burletic on bass (and sporting a Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes jersey).

The band showcased their versatility from the start, going from a rocking version of Kenny Rogers & the First Edition’s “Tulsa Turnaround” to a “Percheron Mules” that gave off a hoedown feeling to the jangly country of “Gemini.”

Although he mostly played acoustic guitar, Childers would occasionally go without it so he could sing with being encumbered, allowing his facial expressions, darting eyes and unique voice to take the spotlight. On the instrumental “Cluck Ol Hen,” Childers even played the fiddle for a Charlie Daniels Band vibe.

“Deadman’s Curve” sounded solid, as did rarely played “If Whiskey Could Talk,” while “Shake the Frost” and “All Your’n” had couples embracing and kissing in the crowd.

Childers’ radio breakthrough “In Your Love,” which caused a stir in the mainstream country market for its video featuring two male coal miners falling in love, set the stage for his solo, acoustic set. Those stripped-down version of three songs — “Lady May,” “Nose on the Grindstone” and “Follow You to Virgie” — proved to be one of the highlights of the show.

The band returned for a funky/gospel-y version of Hank Williams’ “The Old Country Church” and several other songs before closing the night with “House Fire” and “Universal Sound.”

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S.G. Goodman, who hails from a small town in western Kentucky, channeled Patsy Cline and the swamp rock of Creedence Clearwater Revival as she weaved tales of the rural south and expressions of love.

On “Space and Time” — which Childers covered on his most recent album — Goodman sings “I never want to leave this world without saying that I love you.” Besides the more serious moments like that and “Dead Soldiers” (written from the viewpoint of a witness to alcoholism), Goodman was good-natured about her merchandise. In her Southern drawl, she joked about whether she needed to create more camo merch for this tour, clarifying she wasn’t disrespecting it, pointing to her logo, which is a riff on the Dollar General logo.

Goodman joined Childers during his set to share vocals on “Way of the Triune God.”

Adeem the Artist started the theme of non-traditional country acts with his opening set. Identifying as a non-binary, born-again Christian, they played a solo show, switching between guitar and banjo, with songs about introverts, dive bar waitresses and fast cars.

Adeem the Artist added banjo near the end of Childers’ set on “Whitehouse Road,” fitting since the song’s lyrics include “Won’t ya sing them hymns while the banjo plays.”