Under the bright lights of The Canopy Club stage, Avery Anna performed for the opening week of her “let go letters” tour. Fans of all ages dressed in their best country-inspired outfits packed the pit to watch and listen.
Currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Anna released her first EP, “Mood Swings,” in 2022, marking the start of her career as a country artist. From then, her music has mixed different genres with country, with her songwriting described as “confessional” as she draws on real events from her life.
“I really love her new album and the stance it has on women,” said Abygaile Couter, resident of Champaign. “She always talks about the things people never talk about, and it’s just really relatable.”
To get the crowd ready for her set, Anna played a cinematic video of her explaining what the album is about and her inspiration for the album. She spoke heavily about mental health, self-image and the personal journey she takes when writing her music.
After the video played out, Anna took to the stage in a full-length fur coat to sing her opening song, “Mr. Predictable.” Fans in the crowd were cheering and singing along as Anna played one of her most well-known songs. As her set went on, fans from different directions yelled out the songs they wanted to hear next.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“I really want her to play ‘Cheerios,’ it’s one of my favorites,” Couter said.
Many of the songs on “let go letters” discuss real issues that many people experience. “Cheerios” talks about those who are struggling with addiction and how seeing someone you love struggle is very difficult.
Max Frye, resident of Champaign and another fan of Anna’s, wanted to hear “Indigo,” a song by Sam Barber featuring Anna.
“I’m a big Sam Barber fan and that’s how I started listening to (Anna),” Frye said.
Anna continued her set by performing more of her discography, including songs such as “Blonde” and “it’s just rainin’” from her 2024 album “Breakup Over Breakfast” and “what are friends for?” from “let go letters.”
For her song, “depression,” Anna brought out fellow country artist Dylan Davidson to perform alongside her. The crowd cheered as Davidson came out to sing the second verse with Anna.
Towards the middle of her set, Anna took a brief transition to cover “No More Tears” by Ozzy Osbourne. Fans in the crowd were thrashing their heads and cheering as Anna was shredding on an electric guitar.
For another cover, Anna brought out opener and fellow artist, Jenna Raine, to perform “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. The duo ran around the stage and initiated a call and response with the crowd as they harmonized.
To close out her set, Anna played some older tracks from her earlier singles and first EP. After three years of not performing it live, she played her song “Worst In Me” in an acoustic arrangement, and Anna invited the crowd to reflect on their experiences with someone who made them feel small.
Her last programmed song of the night was “Make it look easy” and was a mix of heavy rock with a country twist. After briefly leaving the stage, Anna came back out to perform “Indigo” as her encore. She asked the crowd to hold up their flashlights and sing along for the last chorus. The venue was filled with lights from the audience and voices of fans who knew every word.
Fans applauded as Anna left the stage for the last time that night, and many waited around to get photos and autographs.
“I think she’s just such a great performer,” said Abi Beck, sophomore in Engineering. “She really knew how to work the crowd.”
