Review: Kelsea Ballerini wows as country’s next big arena star

Kelsea Ballerini checks all the boxes for what a woman needs for stardom in country music in the 2020s:

In her first Twin Cities arena headline gig Friday night at Target Center, Ballerini added a smart new item to the checklist that other stars should envy: homemade souvenirs traded by fans.

A la Taylor Swift’s friendship bracelets that were all the rage on her Eras Tour, Ballerini’s fans exchanged handcrafted luggage tags. Inspired by her tune “Baggage” and a TikTok video, Legends (her moniker for her fans) craft their own tags and trade ‘em at the show. Yeet!

“It’s more creative than bracelets,” said Sophia in a sequined pink dress, who declined to give her last name. She made 20 luggage tags and traded four by intermission.

OK, the tag trading wasn’t quite at Swiftie level. But Friday was only the third night of the Knoxville native’s first arena tour, and she was also selling luggage tags — emblazoned with “Minneapolis Has Baggage, Kelsea Ballerini” — for $5, a steal by concert merch standards these days.

Not only was it Ballerini’s first arena headline tour, but it was also the first arena concert in the Twin Cities in 2025. And it set a high standard — combining personality, production and passion into a wow of a sophisticated country-music show.

For 98 minutes, Ballerini oozed freshness and enthusiasm, whether she was reminiscing about her 2023 Minneapolis show at the Armory (her biggest headline gig at that point, she said) or recalling Friday’s pre-show meet-and-greet at which three women requested the same song, “Leave Me Again,” each for different reasons. The singer even confessed about tweaking her neck the night before onstage in Chicago and requiring a doctor to give her a shot in Minneapolis. Talk about keeping it real

Coming on like the kid sister of Tay Tay and SZA, Ballerini, 31, favored detailed relationship songs that were often more vibey than tuneful. Her smoky voice, with an occasional big note, was the perfect fit for her sound.

To deliver her range of emotions from flirtations to divorce to new love, Ballerini offered a heavy helping of “Patterns,” her fifth album that was released in October.

Sitting atop a pile of — what else? — luggage, she kicked off the show with the title track, moved into “Baggage” and then “Love Me Like You Mean It,” her 2014 debut single (and the first debut single by a female country artist to go to No. 1 since Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” in 2006).

The show was divided into three sections: “This girl just wants to have fun,” “I can’t take it anymore,” and “This is how I really feel.”

There was ample sass, energy and conviction as Ballerini twirled, strutted and even danced with a chair — bolstered by confetti, lasers, flame throwers, artful lighting, five flashy outfits and smart visuals (including colorful lyrics on a giant video screen and a merry-go-round spinning on an LED screen).

Her songs weren’t as consistently impressive as her personality and production. “Cowboys Cry Too,” her current single, was as dense and over-orchestrated as the rocker “Wait!” was overwrought. It’s not that Ballerini can’t rock, which she did on the Underwood-like “Miss Me More” and swampy, bluegrass workout “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).” But she’s more of a ballad singer, as evidenced on “Peter Pan” with its a cappella opening, and “Two Things,” which found the energetic singer sitting on steps.

Ballerini was at her best when she got into her most deeply personal and penetrating songs, especially those drawn from 2023′s “Roll Up the Welcome Mat.” They were inspired by her very public divorce from Aussie country singer Morgan Evans.

“How Do I Do This,” a sing-along for 12,000 people, addressed the anxiety of dating again after a breakup. “Blindsided (Yeah, Sure, Okay)” asked, “Were you blindsided or were you just blind?” The requested “Leave Me Again” wished him well and, for her own sake, wished some self-love: “I hope I never leave me again.”

And she unpacked a bad marriage’s worth of baggage on the encore of “Penthouse,” with just her voice and piano, as she unloaded, “I guess wrong can look alright/When you’re playing home in a penthouse, baby.”

Opening the rare all-women country program were two little-known singers: Sasha Alex Sloan (rhymes with Sacha Baron Cohen, the comic/actor), a talented Boston-bred indie pop singer whose low-energy but well-crafted songs would fit better at First Avenue (where she’s played); and MaRynn Taylor, a promising country newcomer from Michigan signed to the same Nashville label for which Ballerini records.