Remember When Cole Swindell Showed Up in Hampton Local Swag on Stage?

Country music star Cole Swindell has quite a bit of history in New England as he gets ready to play the TD Garden on July 8, but his last concert at The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is what has New Hampshire still buzzing.

On Sunday night, April 3, 2022, Swindell took the stage following his opening acts, Travis Denning, and Ashley Cook.  Many in the crowd noticed that his black sweatshirt looked familiar.  It had a goat on the front.

Let's go back to lunch earlier that day, as Cole described to me at a backstage meet and greet.   When he walked in to say hi to some radio people, he was wearing this black hoodie with a goat on it.  We were talking about NASCAR and my favorite driver, Martin Truex, Jr., who happens to be a good friend of Cole's.

Then I stopped our conversation and blurted out, "Did you go to The Goat today?"  He replied, "Yeah I did, and what a cool spot."

He went on to say that he loved... yes, loved The Goat, had a great lunch there, and everyone was so nice.  Some customers noticed him, but waited until he was ready to leave to ask him for a photo and autograph.

Swindell also signed a dollar bill and put it on the wall at The Goat.

Kudos to The Goat for making the country star feel welcome in the Granite State.  Cole went on to say that he was so impressed with the history of the Casino Ballroom, too.  He loves New Hampshire and the fans, for sure.

During the show, Swindell told the crowd that his booking agent said Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, would be a great place to end the tour, with a very loud crowd of all ages and big-time country music fans.

Cole was not disappointed, as the crowd sang along with every song and sent him lots of love as he ended his tour.

The country crooner also told the crowd how he sat in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium when on tour with Luke Bryan in 2014, and penned the song "You Should Be Here" with fellow songwriter Ashley Gorley. The song was about the untimely death of his dad just as he was signed to a record deal.  The #1 song was the title of his 2016 album, and is still one of his biggest hits.

Here's another New England fact about Cole.  He was selling t-shirts for Luke Bryan in the early days and writing songs on the side.  The tour was coming through the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts (then the Comcast Center), with Thompson Square as the opening act.

At the Mansfield show, Thompson Square had to bow out due to emergency reasons, so with no one to fill in, Luke Bryan asked his buddy Cole to sing some of the songs he'd been writing and open the show.

That was the first time Cole was on a big stage in front of a huge crowd, opening for a superstar.

Thanks, Cole Swindell, for a great "end of tour" show at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom last year, and for giving us back the love.

Can't wait to see you in Boston on July 8th.