Scotty McCreery
Village Green
Elk Grove Village, IL
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025 at 7:30pm
With the sun shining on a warm July evening, fans began to enter the venue looking for the perfect place to sit for Scotty McCreery’s free outdoor concert in Elk Grove Village. As the sun began to set and audience anticipation rose, McCreery took the stage.
McCreery got his start on American Idol, where he won the tenth season back in 2011. His debut album, later released in October of 2011, was certified gold in the United States. Since then, McCreery has released five more studio albums, with his most recent being Rise & Fall, released in 2024. McCreery made history with his debut album, becoming the first country act to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with their first studio album, as well as being the youngest man to open at the top of the chart with his debut release. He later wrote a book titled Go Big or Go Home, which was released in 2016. “Five More Minutes” was the first song released without a record label to ever chart on the Country Aircheck Top 50. It later became McCreery’s first number one single on the country charts.
As the band began playing, McCreery emerged from the side of the stage and kicked off the show with his song “Can’t Pass the Bar.” McCreery’s music draws comparisons to 1990’s country music, drawing in fans from a wide range of ages, from young children to senior fans. “Cab in a Solo,” “And Countin’,” “In Between,” and “It Matters to Her” are just a few of the many songs McCreery performed in the beginning of his set.
McCreery is always known for sharing stories about his life on stage. He met his wife when they were just five years old, and he knew that they would one day be married. Later in 2022, McCreery and his wife had their first child, a baby boy, and are expecting their second child this fall. Having fancy lighting, smoke, and pyrotechnics is something that McCreery believes is not always necessary on stage. He prefers to be out with his band and focusing on storytelling through his songs.
Later in his set, McCreery sang a new unreleased song “Swim Up Bar,” which was very fitting for a perfect warm summer night. In the middle of his song set, he spent time covering a variety of older country songs from other artists, including “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis, “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson, and “Sold” by John Michael Montgomery. McCreery then followed with his first number one single “Five More Minutes” and “Damn Strait,” which he wrote about George Strait.
As the night came to a close, McCreery sang his newest song “Bottle Rockets,” which was recorded with Hootie and the Blowfish. Fans were singing along and soaking up the memories of the night. With the sundown, the show came to a close; however, fans lingered and enjoyed the electrifying, warm summer night reminiscing about the memories McCreery gave them.
For additional information on concerts at Elk Grove Village and Scotty McCreery, please visit:
Elk Grove Village- https://www.elkgrove.org
Scotty McCreery- https://www.scottymccreery.com/index.php
Concerts in Elk Grove Village- https://www.elkgrove.org/community/mid-summer-classics-concert-series#ad-image-0
Additional Images:
Photographs and writing by Jaclyn Duske