It was a song that country singer Cole Swindell didn鈥檛 want to write, but every night when he goes on stage and sings 鈥淵ou Should Be Here,鈥 he looks out into the audience and realizes it鈥檚 a song he has to sing.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a song you don鈥檛 want to hear, but you need to hear it,鈥 he said last week from his native Georgia. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 standing up there to sing 鈥榊ou Should Be Here.鈥 ... There are people out there who needed to hear it as bad as I needed to write it.鈥
Swindell wrote the heart-breaking ballad in memory of his father, who died unexpectedly just after Swindell, 35, signed his Warner Bros. record deal in 2013.
The song, on his 2016 sophomore album of the same name, hit No. 1.
When he sings it at the AVA at Casino del Sol on Sunday, April 28, he will look out into the audience and surely see the same sort of reaction that has greeted the song night after night. Grown men, women and kids can鈥檛 help but get choked up, especially if the video of Swindell and his brothers visiting their father鈥檚 grave is playing on the big screen.
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Sunday鈥檚 concert is Swindell鈥檚 first in 蜜柚直播. The closest he鈥檚 come to us is headlining Country Thunder in 2017.
鈥淚 love 蜜柚直播 and I鈥檓 really excited to get to 蜜柚直播,鈥 he said, adding that the trip will be a reunion of sorts with his friend DeMarco Murray, the celebrated NFL running back who just signed on to coach with the University of 蜜柚直播.
蜜柚直播 will get Swindell as he鈥檚 coming off an extended vacation . You can bet the avid golfer will hit the links of Casino del Sol鈥檚 Sewailo Golf Club sometime Sunday.
He and his band have been off the road with the exception of one-off shows since January.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 the most off time I鈥檝e had at the beginning of the year,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 knew we were going to have a big summer and it鈥檚 nice to have a little break. But I鈥檓 getting anxious. I鈥檓 ready.
鈥淚鈥檝e been able to vacation, play some golf. I went to the Masters last week. I鈥檝e been enjoying it, but what I really love is being on the road and being on that stage. I can鈥檛 wait to get out there with you all.鈥
Swindell鈥檚 setlist will cover the hits off his three albums 鈥 鈥淢iddle of a Memory,鈥 鈥淐hillin鈥 It,鈥 鈥淔latliner,鈥 鈥淗ope You Get Lonely Tonight,鈥 鈥淎in鈥檛 Worth the Whiskey,鈥 鈥淟et Me See Ya Girl,鈥 鈥淵ou Should Be Here,鈥 鈥淏reak Up in the End鈥 鈥 and some of the songs he wrote for other artists, including Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan and Scotty McCreery. He鈥檒l also throw in album cuts, including 鈥淚鈥檒l Be Your Small Town鈥 off his 2018 album 鈥淎ll of It.鈥
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I鈥檓 looking forward to in my shows, playing more album cuts,鈥 he said. 鈥淗eck I wouldn鈥檛 have put them on there if I didn鈥檛 love them. There鈥檚 a lot of them that I felt like should have been radio singles but we didn鈥檛 get to them.鈥
He鈥檚 also focused on creating moments that he can share with his audiences.
鈥淎t this point I鈥檝e realized that as much as I like the energy of the show 鈥 I like to keep people moving and having fun 鈥 songs like 鈥楤reak Up in the End,鈥 songs like 鈥榊ou Should Be Here鈥 songs that I can throw into the set now and make a moment of it.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e coming up as a new artist, I didn鈥檛 want to slow them down. ... Now I have a chance to have those moments in my shows.鈥