Country superstar Brett Young brings ‘2.0’ tour to the Peace Center: Upstate Beat

Country superstar Brett Young wants you to know something: This year’s show isn’t like last year’s.

His performance at the Peace Concert Hall in Greenville Jan. 24 will feature multiplatinum hits, lights, confetti and the whole shebang, signaling a return to the high-energy production.

“For last year’s tour, we stripped it down,” Young told me in a recent interview. “We put a cello onstage, took tracks out and eliminated all the gags. There was no fire. There was no confetti. We wanted it to be a storytelling, songwriter-driven event for the year.”

That plan was designed to showcase Young’s album “2.0,” which marked a subtle departure from his trademark “Caliville” sound, a blend of California ease and Nashville polish. It’s the approach that helped Young score four No. 1 hits from his 2017 debut album: “Sleep Without You,” “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Like I Loved You” and “Mercy.” He also earned diamond certification for “In Case You Didn’t Know,” meaning the single sold more than 10 million copies.

Now, that signature sound is firmly back in the spotlight.

“The previous tour was incredible,” Young said. “It was everything I envisioned it to be. But you can’t do that forever. You’ve got fans coming to party at a country show. So we’ve added all of the bells and whistles back in, and we’re coming with high energy.”

With “2.0” now fully released, Young says the new tour balances fresh material with familiar favorites. “We’re putting a bunch of the new music in the set,” he said. “We’re going to bring some energy and have some fun this year.”

Expect the Peace Center show to include fiery versions of “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Mercy” and “Lady,” mixed with deeper album cuts like “You Ain’t Here to Kiss Me,” “Dance With You” and “Tastes Like You,” plus a classic cover or two.

Young is also watching audience reactions closely as he performs the “2.0” songs, using live feedback to help determine the album’s next single. The record reflects a shift away from party-all-night anthems and toward more mature themes centered on family, perspective and domestic life.

Regardless of the set list, Young says he has a special affection for playing in the Southeast, where his career gained early traction.

“When I was first getting started, there was a bar called Coyote Joe’s in North Carolina that booked me before I had a single on the radio,” he said. “So we’ve spent a lot of time out there, and we always have a blast.”