Morgan Wallen tells Ole Miss crowd he's 'a little rowdy' following Nashville arrest
Before performing his song "'98 Braves," Morgan Wallen told a story about how he was nearly kicked off his high school baseball team due to rowdiness, admitting that behavior hasn't gone away.
OXFORD, Miss. – Morgan Wallen fans braved the rain at Ole Miss as the country star returned to the stage for his first performance since being arrested in Nashville nearly two weeks ago.
Fans donned ponchos amid the downpour as they packed into the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, Saturday night for the 30-year-old singer's concert.
Ahead of the show, inclement weather was predicted for the area over the weekend. Despite online speculation that the show might be canceled, Morgan's concert, which was the latest stop on his One Night at a Time World Tour, went ahead as scheduled.
Morgan Wallen fans packed the Ole Miss stadium despite heavy rain as the country star returned to the stage following Nashville arrest. (Getty Images)
Fans wore ponchos amid the downpour at the concert on Saturday night. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
Before the show, fans lined up outside the stadium in the rain. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
Wallen's performance followed opening acts by Bailey Zimmerman, Lauren Watkins and Nate Smith.
MORGAN WALLEN'S SONG WITH ERIC CHURCH HITS NO 1 AS HE PREPARES FOR OLE MISS CONCERT AFTER ARREST
The show also marked his return to Ole Miss after last year's mishap when Wallen abruptly canceled his performance after the opening acts had already finished and just minutes before he was slated to take the stage. The stadium poked fun at the incident, displaying a message on the jumbotron before Wallen took the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, fortunately Morgan has a full voice and is very able to perform tonight.. Therefore, he's ready to run this s--- back and make things right…," the message said. "No reason to make your way to the exits for the next two hours because Morgan and the boys are about to rock Oxford's face off!!!"
The stadium assured fans that Morgan Wallen was ready and able to perform following the incident at Ole Miss last year. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
Once the concert started, Wallen continued to make fun of his recent circumstances, telling a story about how his rowdiness nearly got him kicked off his high school baseball team, before playing the song "'98 Braves."
Ole Miss concert, April 20
- Fans lined up at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi despite the rain. Gates opened at 4:30 p.m.
- Lauren Watkins kicked off the show at 6 p.m. before Nate Smith took the stage at 7 p.m.
- The final opener, Bailey Zimmerman, finished his set at 8:30 p.m.
- Rain poured down most of the evening, but stopped just before Morgan Wallen walked on stage around 9:20 p.m.
- The "Last Night" singer played for more than two hours until 11:30 p.m.
WATCH: MORGAN WALLEN TELLS OLE MISS CROWD HE'S ‘A LITTLE ROWDY’ FOLLOWING NASHVILLE ARREST
"I got this set up here behind me, these flags are from my high school. And it represents something," he told the crowd. "I had a coach, I played baseball, his name was Coach Davidson. When I was a junior in high school, I almost got kicked off the team. I was a li'l rowdy back then. I guess I'm still a little rowdy now," he admitted, trying to stifle a laugh.
"But coach… he never gave up on me, and there's been a lot of people who never gave up on me – some of them in this building tonight … you guys included … I just wanted to shout out that part of my life."
Many fans stayed inside the stadium to avoid the rain until the performances started. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
Wallen's tour bus parked outside the stadium. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
Wallen also performed his formally unreleased song, "Lies Lies Lies," which he debuted in March as a part of his digital series, "Abbey Road Studios."
MORGAN WALLEN'S NASHVILLE BAR ARREST COULD LAND HIM IN JAIL FOR UP TO 6 YEARS': LEGAL EXPERT
On Friday, Wallen broke his silence on his arrest as he took to X, formerly Twitter, to denounce his actions while reassuring fans his One Night at a Time tour will continue as planned.
"I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks," Wallen wrote on social media. "I’ve touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family, and the good people at Chief’s. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.
A fan carried a sign poking fun at Wallen's arrest. (Teny Sahakian/Fox News Digital)
"I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe. Regarding my tour, there will be no change."
On April 7, Wallen, 30, was charged with three felony counts by the Metro Nashville Police Department after a chair he allegedly threw off the roof of the six-story Chief's bar landed on Broadway near two police officers.
"At 10:53 p.m. Sunday evening, Morgan Wallen was arrested in downtown Nashville for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. He is cooperating fully with authorities," Wallen's attorney, Worrick Robinson, told Fox News Digital.
Nearly one year ago, on April 23, 2023, Wallen caused chaos after suddenly canceling what was supposed to be the second appearance of a two-night, sold-out stint in Oxford, Mississippi.
"After last night's show I started losing my voice so I spent the day resting up, talking to my doctor and working through my vocal exercises trying to get better," he explained in an Instagram story. "I really thought I'd be able to take the stage and it kills me to deliver this so close to showtime, but my voice is shot and I am unable to sing."
MORGAN WALLEN'S FIRST PERFORMANCE AFTER NASHVILLE ARREST FOLLOWS CONTROVERSY AT CONCERT VENUE
Following the cancellation, one fan filed a lawsuit against Wallen on behalf of ticket buyers and sought compensatory damages for a possible class-action lawsuit. The suit was voluntarily dismissed the following day.
Morgan Wallen had to cancel his 2023 Ole Miss show at the last minute after losing his voice. (Morgan Wallen Instagram)
Morgan Wallen's label CEO shut down rumors the country singer's concert was canceled due to Wallen being inebriated. (Instagram/ Seth England)
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A viral TikTok clip featuring a security guard who worked at the venue suggested Wallen canceled the show because he was too drunk to perform. He said Wallen's cancellation due to vocal issues was "bullc---" and that an ambulance was needed to pick up the "Chasin' You" singer. But Big Loud CEO Seth England refuted the inebriation claims in a social media post.
"A hired employee of BEST Crowd Management made false claims as it related to last night’s Morgan Wallen concert and we do not stand behind the detail in his statement. Please refer to Morgan’s social media pages for details."
Morgan Wallen has faced a number of controversies throughout his career. (Getty Images)
England additionally wrote, "Thank you @bestcrowdmanagement for correcting your employee, who made up an entire story that was nowhere close to true. Every detail was false. Laughable what some people will just say for a reaction… Don’t Believe Everything You Read."
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Despite last year's difficulties and the alleged chair-throwing incident in Nashville, Wallen's Ole Miss stop on his "One Night at a Time" tour was still full steam ahead.
Prior to Saturday's show, Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter told Fox News Digital, "We are aware of the situation, but no changes have been relayed to us yet. We are obviously monitoring everything very closely."
Morgan Wallen and Eric Church have a No. 1 song on the country music charts. (John Shearer/Getty Images)
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Wallen only recently kicked off his "One Night at a Time" tour in Indianapolis on April 4, and he is scheduled to perform throughout the country with Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith and Lauren Watkins opening.
Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Jon Pardi are just a few country stars set to join Wallen on tour this summer.
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