Review: Country star Jon Pardi throws a party at the State Fair grandstand

Maybe 11 is country star Jon Pardi’s lucky number.

For his 11th Twin Cities appearance in 13 years (that’s a ton for a nationally touring artist), Pardi landed his first major local headline gig on Wednesday night at the Minnesota State Fair.

All those times opening for Eric Church and Luke Bryan as well as area gigs at clubs, casinos and even a rodeo have paid off for Pardi. He was the last show announced in this year’s grandstand lineup, and he drew 9,292 fans, not bad considering he was just at the sold-out Winstock festival in Winsted, Minn., in June.

“It may be Wednesday, but I trust everyone it’ll seem like it’s Saturday night,” Pardi declared early — and often.

The scene: It did seem like Saturday night the way the crowd carried on. That may have been aided by the grandstand having a pit in the front of the stage for 500 or so fans (the only grandstand show this year with that setup). The party decks at opposite ends of the grandstand were packed, which Pardi pointed out.

White cowgirl boots were de rigueur and Lainey Wilson-like Western hats were popular, too, while guys favored trucker caps and cowboy hats. No matter what they wore, the fans came to party to Pardi, which meant drinking, dancing and singing along.

The music: In 95 minutes, Pardi offered an array of drinking songs (“Fill ‘Er Up,” “Beer Can’t Fix”), dancing songs (“Heartache on the Dance Floor,” “Heartache Medication”), blue-collar anthems (“Dirt on My Boots”) and love songs (“Cowboy Hat,” “Head Over Boots”). Well into the set, Pardi’s fiddler, Billy McClaran, performed a solo instrumental rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Since his first hit “Missin’ You Crazy” (which he didn’t perform) in 2012, Pardi, 39, has scored five No. 1 songs from his four studio albums. In 2023, he became the first California-born artist to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He’s from Dixon, Calif., which is about 23 miles outside of Sacramento.

Biggest takeaways: Pardi proved to be a spirited entertainer, with infectious energy and exaggerated dance moves borrowed from Luke Bryan, Dwight Yoakam and even Elvis Presley, those swiveling hips.

On record, Pardi has a nasally drawl but in concert he didn’t often sound like the voice on his recordings, coming across like a buzz-saw at times on Wednesday or just plain colorless.

Coolest moments: The fiddle-framed “Ain’t Always the Cowboy” confirmed Pardi has a way with ballads, but the many party pieces made the night memorable — especially the bouncy “Heartache Medication,” the dance-happy “Head Over Boots” and “Me and Jack,” which chugged along with a Johnny Cash rhythm.

Low point: Three solo acoustic numbers, including “When I’ve Been Drinking” and “Rainy Night,” slowed the momentum in the middle of a lively performance.

Best banter: Pardi’s conversation was pretty predictable and a little rote, especially when he said, “The energy in the room, in the building, is amazing.” Um, Jon, this was an outdoor concert.

The best patter came from guitarist Terry Lee Palmer, who mentioned the three things he knew about Minnesota: “One, you can only get Grain Belt beer here; two, you have a kickass football team called the Vikings, and three, you got some pretty rowdy country music fans.”

Opening act: Dillon Carmichael, 30, is well connected. He is the nephew of Nashville vets John Michael Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry. Plus he worked as a security guard at the Grand Ole Opry. The Kentuckian knows how to mine country cliches (“Red White Camo and Blue”), deliver bluster (“Pickin’ Up Girls,” “Big Truck”), reach for the sentimental (“Dancin’ Away My Heart,” “Son of A”) and turn a clever phrase (“Hot Beer,” “Sawin’ Logs”).