Review: Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan bring Ohio State Fair to a close with a 'Party' at Crew Stadium

Jason Aldean introduced Columbus to his kind of party Sunday night, and fans seemed to enjoy taking a little ride with him.

Aldean and fellow country artist Luke Bryan rocked out a packed Columbus Crew Stadium Sunday to conclude the 2012 Ohio State Fair, which started July 25.

Bryan opened the show with a powerhouse performance that got the crowd on its feet, singing along to his hits. Setting off the precedent for the rest of the concert, Bryan kicked off his set with “Rain is a Good Thing,” a track from his second studio album “Doin' My Thing.”

He did not disappoint, performing some of his most beloved tracks such as “Country Girl (Shake it for Me),” “All My Friends Say,” “Drunk on You” and his latest single “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.”

Nearly everyone on the field in the stadium and many fans in the stands were on their feet, dancing in their cowboy boots and cutoff jeans to most of Bryan’s performance. Bryan shouted out to the Columbus country fans, calling them the “crowd of the year,” and the already-energetic crowd erupted into cheers.

The sun went down as Bryan’s performance ended, and the crowd waited anxiously under the cover of the night sky for the headliner Aldean to take the stage.

Aldean rose from beneath the stage to kick his set off with crowd-pleaser “Johnny Cash.” With lyrics such as “Blastin' out to Johnny Cash / Headin' for the highway / Baby we ain't ever comin' back,” the crowd was immediately fired up and singing along.

Throughout Aldean’s show members of the audience pushed to get closer to the stage, as if they were longing to get a piece of the country music star, or even just one of his guitar picks.

Much of the crowd raised their drinks and sang along to Aldean’s latest single “Take a Little Ride,” along with past hits “Amarillo Sky,” “Big Green Tractor” and “Fly Over States.” Before playing “Dirt Road Anthem,” Aldean’s first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart, he announced that the My Kinda Party Tour has been his first headlining tour to sell out, to which the lucky attendees exploded into applause and cheers.

Aldean took to the microphone to make another announcement toward the end of the show. “It’s time to kick this b---- into overdrive!” he shouted, launching into the tour’s namesake, “My Kinda Party.”

The show was what every country concert should be, less of a concert, more of a party. Aldean’s tour stop in Columbus was the perfect finale for the Ohio State Fair, giving fans the opportunity to slip on some cowboy boots and party in true country style.