What a night! Thanks to up-and-coming country stars Walker Hayes and Kane Brown, the opening night of Summerfest at the brand-spanking new U.S. Cellular Connection Stage with FM 106.1 was a complete smash.

Hayes opened up the evening, taking the stage for the first time after a three-week break following the death of his newborn daughter, Oakleigh Klover, just hours after she was born on June 8. With a memorial tattoo of Oakleigh’s tiny little footprint on his left forearm, Hayes noted that "[f]rom the bottom of by heart, it's been awhile since I've been on stage and this feels really good."

If you've only ever heard one Walker Hayes song, I can bet it's his current hit, "You Broke Up with Me." And while this song swings towards a Sam Hunt style of country – that is to say, modern country hip-hop with some rap elements – the rest of Hayes's songs seem to skew to a country style uniquely his own. In a way, except for Hayes's accent, it almost felt like not like a country concert at all.

But that’s not a bad thing. And that for sure doesn't mean it wasn't great, because it was. Well, except for some drowning out of Hayes from too much bass in the first few songs. But with excellent dance moves and a silky voice that washed over the audience, there was some kind of cosmic pull created that just drew you in. Walker Hayes captivates, even if he is a newer artist with just one gigantic hit on the airwaves.

His 14-song set was filled to the brim with songs from his latest album, "Boom," including "Beckett" – a silly, but poignant song about Hayes's son, Beckett, who likes to eat Fruit Loops every morning ... buck naked, and doesn’t see the color of someone’s skin nor worry about whether he’s rich or poor. The song drives home the point that we all should be a little more like Beckett.

He also played "Dollar Store," a poppy song that just makes you want to dance. It’s light and fun. On Wednesday night, it was perfect.

Hayes also laid down a decently sweet mashup of Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy with It" and TLC’s "No Scrubs."

Hayes really only played one serious song during his set. "Craig" is a song about his friend who gave him a van when his family was struggling to make ends meet. The gift meant that he and his wife could transport their kids safely.

Otherwise, Hayes's songs leaned more towards pop and rap than country. They’re upbeat, honest and sweet. On another night, in another place, we'll see this guy again – soon.

In the hour between Walker Hayes and Kane Brown, I think I got a contact high. Watching the Big Bang with the full moon hanging in the background was an overwhelmingly trippy experience. While the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage was mostly full during Hayes’s set, by the time Kane Brown came flying on the stage, it was burgeoning to overflow. It was awesome.

Brown had the crowd from the first note. They were on their feet and singing along to every song. Seriously, every song – even a Randy Travis song from way back.

Even his slow, emotional songs carried an intensity that you don’t always see live. It was so intense, in fact, Kane Brown made me cry – four times. And one of them was a full-on ugly cry. It’s really rare that a musician can evoke emotions like that once, let alone four times.

Brown opened with "Found You" and pretty much never let up. The stage was ablaze with strobe lights criss-crossing and circling the stage, making you feel like you were at an arena show. He followed quickly with "Hometown," "Used to Love You Sober" and "What’s Mine Is Yours."

He slowed it down after "Better Place" with a song about his grandfather called "Cold Spot." The day Brown finished writing the song, his grandfather passed away. It was so heartbreakingly touching. The lyrics are simple and talk about all the ways in which his grandfather helped him become the man he is. "I am who I am because he raised Kane selling crickets and minnows and kerosene." Yep. I cried.

Next up was an acoustic version of Randy Travis’s "Three Wooden Crosses." Haunting. And, yep. I cried.

I cried again during his new song "Homesick," which he dedicated to the military. And one more time during Brown’s song "Learning" which encourages you to let the bad things go.

Throughout the night, Kane Brown told stories about his life, letting you into his world – one that was filled with racism and abuse when he was a kid, and one that is filled with love and self-respect now. He talked about what a badass (his word) his Nana was. When his step-dad was abusing him, his Nana, a detective, saw the bruises on Brown and had his step-dad arrested and put in jail three weeks later.

Brown laid down a some super fresh songs. "Lose It," his new single, and "Weekend" were both killer party songs had the crowd dancing wildly.

And of course, no Kane Brown song would be complete without his two biggest singles, "Heaven," and "What Ifs." Both were absolutely incredible live.

Kane Brown is so intriguing. He suffered heartbreak and abuse as a child. He fought through and had a dream to do what he’s doing today. He encouraged the audience to pursue their dreams. You don’t run into a lot of people who follow their dreams like Brown did. Part Cherokee and part African-American, Brown is the first country artist to score number one songs on all five main country charts (Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Digital Song Sales and Country Streaming Songs).

This guy is only 24 years old. And I’m pretty positive that we’ll be hearing a lot from him for a really long time to come. His new album drops in November 2018. Expect brilliant things it.

Setlist

Kane Brown

"Found You"
"Hometown"
"Used to Love You Sober"
"What’s Mine Is Yours"
"Better Place"
"Cold Spot"
"Three Wooden Crosses" - Randy Travis cover
"Let Me Down Easy" - Billy Currington cover
"Billionaire/Ms. Jackson/Over My Head" - Travie McCoy, OutKast, Echosmith covers
"Location" - Khalid cover
"There Goes My Everything"
"Lose It"
"Heaven"
"Weekend"
"Learning"
"Closer"

Encore

"Pull It Off"
"What Ifs"

Walker Hayes

"Prescription"
"Break the Internet
"Dollar Store"
"Beautiful"
"Mind Candy"
"Beckett"
"You’re Happy"
"Beer in the Fridge"
"Lela’s Stars"
"Jiggy with It/No Scrubs" - Will Smith and TLC covers
"Halloween"
"Craig"
"You Broke Up with Me"
"Shut Up Kenny"