There’s a specific kind of energy that comes with a country concert in Australia. Cowboy hats everywhere, Ringers Western trucker caps pulled low, Tooheys beer cans crunching under cowboy boots.
A crowd that somehow feels equally Nashville and unmistakably Australian.
And on Sunday 17th May, at the Hordern Pavilion, Warren Zeiders leaned fully into that atmosphere during the Sydney stop of his World Tour.
Going into this show, I wouldn’t have called myself a die-hard Warren Zeiders fan.
His music has been floating around my Spotify playlists for years, especially on long drives and recent road trips, but I didn’t really know much about him beyond the songs themselves.
I could instantly recognise that gritty, unmistakable voice, but if he’d walked past me on the street before this concert, I honestly wouldn’t have known it was him.
Still, there’s something exciting about going into a concert with fewer expectations. Sometimes those are the shows that surprise you most.
And while Warren Zeiders might not have delivered the emotional storytelling or stripped-back intimacy I often love most in country music, he absolutely delivered on energy.
From smoke machines and lightning visuals to crowd chants demanding “take it off,” the night felt less like a traditional country concert and more like a country-rock arena show squeezed into one of Sydney’s best live music venues.
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A Sunday Night at Hordern Pavilion
My boyfriend and I arrived to Hordern Pavilion around 7:40pm after stopping for dinner at Surly’s BBQ beforehand, which was actually hosting a Warren Zeiders pre-party complete with country music and games.
It finally gave us the excuse to try the place out, and it was the perfect warm-up before heading into a night of loud guitars and country-rock chaos.
Surprisingly though, the atmosphere outside the Hordern Pavilion itself felt fairly subdued. Walking toward the venue, you almost wouldn’t have known there was a concert happening.
There wasn’t much music outside, and while the courtyard area near the bars and food trucks was busy enough, the overall vibe felt a little flat compared to some of the country shows I’ve attended recently in Sydney.
Once inside, though, it was a completely different story.
The crowd was incredibly mixed, which I actually loved to see. There were groups of girls in full western glam, couples on date night, older country fans, and even families with younger kids.
Cowboy hats were everywhere, naturally, alongside cowboy boots, trucker hats and plenty of Ringers Western gear from the guys. Australian country crowds really have developed their own unique identity over the last few years, and it’s always fun to people-watch before the show starts.
Finding the Perfect Spot
This was my second time attending a gig at Hordern Pavilion and I intentionally avoided getting too close to the stage.
After nearly overheating during Riley Green (due to a quick glance at those biceps or because I was too hot, who’s to say?) earlier this year, I wanted a bit more breathing room for this concert.
We ended up standing in the middle toward the back of the floor area, which worked perfectly for the type of show Warren puts on.
The Hordern Pavilion can get extremely crowded, but this felt noticeably more manageable than the Riley Green show. There was enough room to move around comfortably without losing the atmosphere, and while there were no big live-feed screens showing Warren close-up, we still had a solid view of the stage itself.
Sound-wise, the venue was excellent all night. Loud enough to feel immersive without becoming overwhelming, which is exactly what you want for a concert that leans heavily into rock influences.
Support Act Mack Geiger Gets the Crowd Warmed Up
Australian country artist Mack Geiger opened the night with a strong support set that felt very different from Warren Zeiders’ style.
Where Warren brings heavy country-rock energy, Mack Geiger’s set leaned much more acoustic and traditional country. He had a fiddler on stage with him, which added a really nice layer to the performance and helped create that classic country sound that works so well live.
One of the standout moments of his set was “Campdraft Queen”, which got a fantastic reaction from the crowd. He also had a very relaxed and funny stage presence, constantly referring to women as “sheila’s” while introducing songs and talking about the inspirations behind them.
Being from Queensland, he also couldn’t resist winding up the Sydney crowd with a few jokes about State of Origin, earning plenty of playful boos in return.
By the time Mack Geiger finished his set, the audience felt properly warmed up and ready for Warren Zeiders to take the stage.
I’m excited to see Mack Geiger again later in the year as he was announced on this year’s Strummingbird Festival lineup alongside Post Malone and Bailey Zimmerman – I’m counting down the days to this already!
Warren Zeiders’ Entrance: Straight Into the Chaos
At exactly 9pm, the venue lights dimmed and “Rockstar” by Nickelback blasted through the speakers before Warren Zeiders finally emerged onto the stage.
There wasn’t anything overly dramatic about his entrance itself, as he began singing offstage before walking in from the side. His opening song, “Intoxicated,” immediately set the tone for the night.
The first thing that struck me was just how much he sounded like the recordings. Sometimes live vocals can completely transform an artist’s music, but Warren’s gritty voice sounded almost identical to Spotify.
Maybe a little too identical at times. There were definitely moments where backing tracks seemed to support the vocals, especially when he pulled the microphone away from his mouth and the singing still sounded almost flawless.
That said, there’s no denying he has a seriously unique voice. It cuts through the room instantly and gives his songs that signature edge that separates him from a lot of other modern country artists right now.
The crowd absolutely loved him from the beginning. The energy was immediate with loud singing, shouting, and people throwing their arms in the air throughout.
A Country Concert With A Rock-Star Feel
One thing that became obvious very quickly was that Warren Zeiders isn’t really operating in the same lane as a lot of the country artists I usually listen to.
This didn’t feel like a laid-back Nashville-style songwriter round or a classic country storytelling show. It felt much closer to a rock concert.
The stage production reflected that too.
There was a small catwalk extending into the crowd, smoke machines firing throughout the night, flashing lights, elevated platforms around the stage and a large screen at the back displaying visuals and lyrics during certain songs.
It wasn’t an enormous arena-level production, but it definitely wasn’t stripped-back country either.
One of the strongest visual moments came during the encore when Warren returned shirtless for “Ride the Lightning.” Lightning visuals flashed across the screen behind him while smoke filled the stage, creating a cinematic ending to the concert.
At one point, he raised his microphone stand above his head and I suddenly realised the stand itself was shaped like a lightning bolt. Such a small detail, but visually it looked incredibly cool paired with the final song.
Warren Zeiders as a Performer
As a frontman, Warren Zeiders is incredibly confident.
There’s no hesitation about him whatsoever. He knows exactly the type of performer he wants to be, and fully commits to it. He spent the night charging around the stage, hyping up the crowd and leaning heavily into the rock-star persona.
Throughout the concert, there were endless chants of “take it off,” which eventually paid off when he returned topless for the encore. To be fair, his tour poster already featured him shirtless, so maybe the crowd simply viewed it as accurate advertising.
One thing I did notice though was that, despite the energy, there wasn’t a huge amount of personal connection throughout the show. Warren interacted with the audience occasionally, thanking everyone for coming and pointing out into the crowd, but there weren’t many emotional stories or deeper insights into the songs themselves.
For me personally, that’s probably the one thing missing from elevating him into the very top tier of live country performers.
Artists like Jordan Davis or Lainey Wilson make you feel like you understand them more by the end of the show. Warren Zeiders delivered an entertaining performance, but I still left feeling like I didn’t really know much about him.
Still, there were some memorable moments.
Midway through the concert, his manager unexpectedly came out onstage to present Warren with a framed plaque celebrating his multi-platinum success, presumably for “Pretty Little Poison.”
It was really nice to see him take a second to appreciate how far he’s come and it was apparent how thankful he was to the fans as he knew he wouldn’t be where he is today without people (like us in the crowd) listening to his music.
The Songs That Hit Hardest
Even though I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore fan before the concert, there were several songs that absolutely stood out live.
“Intoxicated” worked perfectly as an opener and immediately got the crowd moving, but the biggest reactions of the night easily came from “Pretty Little Poison,” “You for a Reason,” and “Relapse.”
During “Relapse,” the entire venue was jumping up and down together, while “You for a Reason” created one of the sweeter moments of the night as couples swayed and danced together around the room.
But unsurprisingly, “Pretty Little Poison” was the emotional high point for me personally.
The song has now surpassed one billion Spotify streams, which feels pretty insane when you think about it, and hearing it live was one of those moments where you suddenly understand exactly why a song has connected with so many people around the world.
The entire crowd sang the lyrics back word-for-word, and Warren actually stepped back several times just to let the audience take over.
He also performed several fan favourites including “Heartbreaker,” “Burn it Down,” and his new release “Drinking Game,” while also throwing in a fun cover of “Brand New Man” which he covered with support act, Mack Geiger.
One thing I really wished the set had included though was at least one fully stripped-back acoustic moment.
For someone with such a distinctive voice, I would have loved to hear Warren slow things down completely and really let the vocals stand alone without production or backing tracks. It felt like the one missing ingredient from the show.
A Loud and Rowdy Crowd, Ready for a Good Time
For a Sunday night, this crowd was wildly energetic.
Beer cans were constantly being crushed under cowboy boots, people were hollering throughout songs, and the singing was loud from start to finish.
It wasn’t the wholesome, emotional country crowd you sometimes get at artists like Dermot Kennedy or Riley Green. This felt much rowdier and much more rock-influenced.
At one point during the show, Warren even stopped to tell the audience they needed to bring more energy because things had gone a little flat in the middle section of the set.
Thankfully, the crowd responded quickly and the atmosphere picked right back up again.
A Different Kind of Country Concert
Walking out of the Hordern Pavilion afterwards, I kept thinking about how different Warren Zeiders feels compared to most country artists in the charts right now.
He doesn’t really fit into the classic Nashville mould, but then neither do artists like Avery Anna or Cameron Whitcomb and they’re doing so well.
He’s not the emotional storyteller sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar. He’s not the polished mainstream radio-country guy either.
If anything, the concert reminded me more of seeing Kasabian than a traditional country show, just with cowboy hats replacing bucket hats.
The concert was electric, loud and buzzing from beginning to end. While I personally would have loved a little more vulnerability or insight into the songs, there’s no denying Warren Zeiders knows how to put on a show.
Would I see him again? Yes, definitely.
Would I go massively out of my way? Probably not yet.
But I’m curious to see where his music evolves from here because he clearly has something that audiences are connecting with in a huge way.
And if nothing else, I’ll never hear “Pretty Little Poison” the same way again after hearing an entire room of cowboy hats scream it back at full volume inside the Hordern Pavilion on a Sunday night in Sydney.
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By Orlagh Shanks
Orlagh Shanks is the Editor of Orlagh Claire, an award-winning travel and lifestyle blog.
After working in the PR & Influencer Marketing industry, Orlagh quit her job to travel Asia for 12 months and moved to Sydney, Australia where she is now a full-time travel blogger and content creator sharing travel tips and recommendations for all 30 of the countries she’s visited so far.
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