Lining up outside the O2 Apollo Manchester, it was immediately clear that Jordan Davis has grown significantly in popularity with UK audiences since his last visit to the city. When he played Manchester Academy in February 2024, the scale felt modest. This time around, it was a different story.

Arctic lorries were parked up outside the venue, presumably carrying the expanded production for a tour that was set to include a stop at Wembley Arena that weekend, before continuing into Europe with dates in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, and then heading to New Zealand and Australia later in the month.

Everything about the show felt bigger. It reflects not only Davis’ rising profile, but also the continued surge in country music’s popularity in the UK over the past few years.

Davis sold out two nights at the O2 Apollo on Wednesday and Thursday, with a capacity of around 3,500 each night, totalling 7,000 tickets across the run. For an artist who is not heavily featured on mainstream UK radio, that is no small achievement. It perhaps says something about how audiences are now discovering music, through streaming playlists and social platforms rather than conventional radio.

He opened with Ain’t Enough Road, the title track of the tour. It was a fitting introduction, accompanied by sweeping visuals of long American highways that captured the spirit of a US road trip.

“It’s so good to be back,” he shouted. “We’ve come way too far to turn around and go back home now.”

He kept to the travelling theme with Turn This Truck Around before launching into Bar None, one of his newer releases, which already had the crowd fully involved.

Slow Dance in a Parking Lot followed, one of my favourites of his. He brought the audience in at the end for some ‘wo-ohh, wo-ohh’ singalongs.

“I wanna play y’all one of my favourite songs,” he said, introducing Lose You. “I feel like this is a special place for it. I remember playing this in 2019 here for the first time.”

Almost Maybes kept the momentum going before he toasted the crowd with tequila and kicked into A Little Lime, a moment that felt like a celebration of how far he has come in the UK.

In Case You Missed It and Next Thing You Know kept the energy high. The latter provided one of the most memorable moments of the night. As Davis sang the line about getting down on one knee, he suddenly stopped.

“Did you just get engaged? No way!” he said, spotting a proposal unfolding in the crowd. It was a perfectly timed, once-in-a-lifetime moment that will no doubt make the song even more special for one couple in attendance.

A run of Son of a Gun, Banks, Tucson Too Late and Singles You Up showcased both his storytelling and his knack for writing catchy, radio-ready hooks. Church in a Chevy added a reflective moment before the set took a playful turn.

About an hour in, Davis surprised the audience with a cover of Let It Go by James Bay, prompting huge crowd participation. The collaborative feel continued as support act Avery Anna returned to the stage for Man I Need, before Solon Holt joined for Wagon Wheel.

Mr Brightside followed, handed over to his guitarist on lead vocals, which only added to the sense of fun. Few songs lift a UK crowd quite like that one, and the Apollo needed little encouragement.

Back to his own material, I Ain’t Sayin’ and Take It From Me steered the show toward its finale.

The night would not have been complete without Buy Dirt. “When I finished this, I sent it to a friend of mine called Luke Bryan. He helped me sing it, and y’all helped me make it one of the biggest songs I’ve ever released,” Davis told the crowd. Every word was sung straight back at him.

He closed with What My World Spins Around, ending on a warm note. The entire performance was accompanied by visuals inspired by country life and classic American landscapes.

Vocally, Davis remains consistently strong live. His delivery balances warmth and precision, with a smooth, conversational tone that never feels forced. There is a natural Southern lilt to his voice, but it is his unpretentious and charismatic stage presence that truly connects. He does not overcomplicate things. He lets the songs, and the stories within them, do the work.

Judging by two sold-out nights in Manchester and the scale of this tour, Jordan Davis is no longer just building a UK fan base. He has firmly established one.

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.