Warner Music NashvilleWith his latest single “Middle of a Memory” firmly in the top five, Cole Swindell marked the number-one success of his last hit, “You Should Be Here,” at a party Thursday in Nashville. Though he’s typically been known for fun, uptempo songs, the Georgia native says he’s thankful for the way the song about the loss of his dad has transformed his live show.
“Songs like that are why I love what I do,” Cole says. “I love having fun on stage, but I’ve never had a chance to have a moment… As powerful as ‘Ain’t Worth the Whiskey’ and some of those other moments are, there’s nothing like the bond you feel. I mean, you’re seeing somebody in the third row with tears, and all I can think about [is] ‘Who are they missing?’… Just the cellphone lights and all… it’s cool to get to see live.”
Thursday night at Florida Georgia Line’s Dig Your Roots stop at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena, Cole’s mom was in the audience to see her son for the first time since recovering from back surgery.
“I’ve gotten through it every night, but this is going to be a tough one…” Cole confessed. “You know, the song can be taken a whole another way. She is here, and I think if there’s anything they can learn from us, [it’s] ‘Hey, you should appreciate everybody that you got around you. There’s ones that we miss, but don’t get caught up in the ones that aren’t here,’ you know? They’re all right. We need to look out for the ones we still have. I’ve learned the hard way, you never know when that’s gonna be taken away.”
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