Dustin Lynch turns Suburban Park into a Friday night honky-tonk

Cowgirl hats, boots and plaid flannel shirts filled the 2025 New York State Fair on Friday night, a look far from the usual fair fashion. The fairgrounds transformed into a honky-tonk landscape as country star Dustin Lynch took over Suburban Park. 

Known for his smooth vocals and energetic performances, Lynch walked out on stage with a red guitar in hand as blue lights and smoke set the scene. Within minutes, the crowd was on its feet for “Seein Red,” as the stage glowed in vibrant red lights. 

From there, he brought the spirit of country music to Syracuse with a mix of his traditional roots, contemporary flair and cowboy swagger. “Honky Tonk Heartbreaker” had fans dancing in the audience, while “Tequila on a Boat” featured a lake-party video on the big screen as Lynch encouraged the crowd to “take a big ‘ol sip of what you’re drinking.” 

Lynch wasn’t afraid to dig deep into his list of songs, giving longtime supporters a thrill with early songs like “Rock You Sweet” and reminiscing about his 2012 start in the industry. 

While he transitioned to one of his new, slower love songs, “Easy to Love,” about settling down and getting married one day, a couple in the crowd got engaged. 

Lynch thanked the crowd for “changing my life with this song a few years back” and began singing “Thinkin’ Bout You.” Typically a duet with Canadian country singer MacKenzie Porter, Lynch asked the country ladies in the audience to help him with her verse. 

Country music fans showed up to the concert at Suburban Park, as the show drew one of the fair’s biggest audiences of the summer, with an estimated 29,000 packed in. 

The energy of the audience was obvious as it peaked during hits like “Good Girl” and “Where It’s At,” but the show’s most emotional moment came with “Cowboys and Angels.” A photo of his grandparents appeared on the screen before Lynch told the crowd: “I always get asked in interviews what’s my favorite song to play, and this one right here is my most favorite and most special song of the night for me because I wrote this song for my grandad and grandmom,” Lynch said. “They taught me so much about how to love and how to do life the right way.” 

Midway through the song, Lynch paused and challenged his fans to think about someone they missed who is looking down on them. Voices erupted as they joined him in singing the final verse. 

Though the vocals were impressive, Lynch thrived with his commanding stage presence. The Nashville singer interacted with members of the crowd, offering them free tequila shots and signing autographs on cowgirl hats. He even grabbed audience members’ phones and took selfies and videos of himself as he sang.  

Lynch closed the night with his signature anthem “Small Town Boy,” a song that turned Suburban Park into one big country singalong. “Thank you for showing up, thank you for singing so pretty for us and thank you for celebrating country music this evening.”