Hayes, who was in town for a concert later that evening, did a short set and interview that day at noon to a packed house of fans. Usually, the noon shows in the Bing Lounge have a sparse audience; due mainly to people having to work. The requests to see Hunter Hayes however were around 800. Because of this, seating was to be first come, first serve, for the first 175 people. Most started lining up about two hours before the set was to begin, with one fan actually getting to the Bing Lounge four hours in advance.
The crowd that day was made up primarily of young women, wanting to get a closer look at the blond haired, blue eyed Hayes. It's obvious Hunter is one of the latest country heartthrobs to come out of Nashville.
There's more to Hayes than just his looks however. The young man is extremely talented, having started performing at the tender age of two, when his grandma gave him a toy accordion as a gift. He told this during the interview segment, and said that from then on, he got a different instrument for every holiday. He's learned to play thirty so far; though he'll admit, the fiddle is one instrument he's never mastered.
He's performed with some of the biggest names in the music business throughout the years, and is very knowledgeable about his craft. It also comes through in his showmanship. No matter the size of the stage, or crowd, Hayes easily captures, and keeps the audience's attention. This was obvious during the Bing Lounge performance; even though it's a small stage in an intimate venue, Hayes and his band rocked full tilt on every tune they did.
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper performance if Hayes hadn't done his first single, "Storm Warning". What was interesting, and nice to find out, was, Hayes sounded just as good live as the recording of the song. That's often not the case with some artists.
Hayes also did his latest single, "Wanted", telling the story behind the song first. He said he'd written the song for a girlfriend that he didn't want to lose. He went on to say that obviously the song didn't do what it was supposed to; but it was okay, he has a hit out of the song now.
KUPL's afternoon DJ, TicTak, put out a challenge to Hayes and his band to perform a song by another artist. Hayes chose Ronnie Milsap's "No Getting Over You", and nailed the song perfectly.
Throughout the event one could tell Hayes has learned over the years to be himself. His youthful exuberance shines through genuinely, and equally with his professionalism. Though things were a bit rushed, because of a time crunch, Hayes still took the time to shake each attendee's hand, ask their name, sign an autograph and pose for a photo.
If every performance Hunter Hayes gives is like the one at the Bing Lounge, I'm willing to bet this is a young man who will be around the music business for a long, long time.
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