There are some artists you go to see perform, and then there are artists who somehow make you feel like you’ve known them your entire life. Ashley McBryde falls firmly into the latter category.

On Friday, October 9, McBryde brought her Into the Wild Tour to Rochester’s Kodak Center, delivering on a night filled with powerful vocals, raw emotion, sharp-witted humor, and unflinching, radically honest storytelling.

McBryde’s “Arkansas Mud” was the perfect way to get the night started, with it’s rock-heavy, up-tempo beat. Simultaneously setting the tone, while letting new folks know just where she comes from. Next came “Water in the River,” another song from her latest album, Wild, followed by her hit “One Night Standards.”

Of course fans know that McBryde will showcase her pure and authentic voice at her show, but what makes her performances so captivating is what happens between the songs. She has a gift for turning a concert into something that feels more like catching up with an old friend. Her stories are funny, sometimes deeply personal, and always unmistakably straight from the heart. There’s a certain comfort that comes with her live performance, and it’s as though you’re sitting across from her listening to stories that you’ve somehow been a part of for years.

That connection becomes even more meaningful when the conversation turns serious.

McBryde has increasingly opened up about her journey with sobriety, allowing fans to see another deeply personal side of the woman behind the songs. In a recent interview with the Human School Podcast, McBryde explained that she had to stop drinking or she would die, explaining “that’s not a hard choice to make, it’s a hard choice to keep.” This vulnerability adds another layer to the storytelling. Her willingness to embrace both the difficult and humorous chapters of her life is part of what makes her authenticity carry so compelling.

The story behind “Bible and a .44” was one in particular that tugged at the heart strings. McBryde explained the inspiration behind the song was her relationship with her father, a traditional, rough-around-the-edges, and deeply religious Southern man. He had a beloved Martin D-35S guitar that the children were strictly forbidden from touching. She got a rush when she played it, partly because she knew she wasn’t supposed to touch it, but also because it provided a special connection to her father that she may not have had otherwise. So one day, when her father wasn’t home, McBryde wrote “Bible and a .44” on that guitar. Then, after finally playing the song for her father, he gifted it to her. Even though the guitar was supposed to be handed down to McBryde after her father passed away, he explained “well, I can’t watch you play it after I’m gone, and I’d kind of like to see you play it.”

McBryde did a fantastic job of balancing newer material from Wild, with the hits that have helped her earn a Grammy Award, CMA Awards, ACM Awards, and numerous industry nominations. From songs like “Rattlesnake Preacher,” “Lines In The Carpet,” and “Ten to Midnight,” to “Light On In The Kitchen,” and “American Scandal.” Fans were treated to an encore that featured “Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” and “Brenda Put Your Bra On.”

Perhaps one of McBryde’s greatest strengths as an artist is that nothing is manufactured with her. She doesn’t need a larger-than-life persona, no matter the size of the stage she plays on. She’s unapologetically herself, sarcastic, vulnerable, a little wild, and yet remarkably relatable.

Opening for McBryde was Kentucky independent artist, Coltin Bowlin, who wowed fans with his gritty tone. He commanded the stage, just him and his guitar, between “murder ballads” and covers from Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson.

Friday night in Rochester was a reminder that the best live performances aren’t always defined by elaborate productions or flashy things. Sometimes, they’re simply about the stories, the songs, and the PERSON sharing them.

For Ashley McBryde, that connection feels effortless.

Raw. Real. Wild.