Jason Aldean at the Xcel Energy Center

An enthusiastic capacity crowd of more than 18,000 country music fans packed the Xcel Energy Center on Friday night to see Jason Aldean’s appropriately named “My Kinda Party Tour." Joining him on this leg of the tour were fellow Georgia-born artists  Lauren Alaina, an American Idol runner-up, and Luke Bryan, who offered up an energetic, hour-long performance that included his single  “Rain is a Good Thing."

After an energetic, DJ-led intermission, Aldean appeared in bright lights at the top of the stage and the crowd erupted. Aldean did a great job performing to the audience from all parts of the stage, including the people in the seats behind him, and kept the party going strong with upbeat tunes for the first part of the show. Midset, he made his way onto a small stage where he could perform more intimately to the people at the back of the arena.  It was here that he invited Luke Bryan to join him to play an acoustic set that included a cover of Alabama’s “Love in the First Degree” and Bryan’s “We Rode in Trucks.”

Aldean returned to the big stage and turned the party up a notch for his hit single “Do You Wanna Stay,” a duet he recorded with Kelly Clarkson.  Rather than using video tricks for Clarkson’s harmony, Alaina returned to the stage.  Aldean finished the evening strong playing his tour and album title track “My Kinda Party” and his big hit “She’s Country," saving “Dirt Road Anthem” for the encore.

If this is Aldean's kind of party, there's good reason for fans to plan to go out and see him when he returns to Minnesota this summer to perform at WeFest.

-- Patrick Dunn