Lana Del Rey covers Tammy Wynette and other top moments from Tennessee tour kick off

Lana Del Rey waltzed onto the stage at FirstBank Amphitheater in a white flowing dress and cowboy boots, looking bright-eyed and beautiful. Performing a tight 90-minute set, Del Rey took her audience down a nostalgic path as she sang her cinematic, glamorous hits.

The "Summertime Sadness" singer kicked off her brief 12-show tour in Franklin, TN, performing on Thursday, Sept. 14 and Friday, Sept. 15, supported by Nikki Lane.

The New York native, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, is playing select locations on her American tour, heading to Texas after her two performances in Tennessee. The tour will come to an end in Charleston, WV on Oct. 5. Del Rey released album "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" in March, which was followed by a handful of tracks recorded with her musician father, Rob Grant, including "Hollywood Bowl."

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Audience members descended into the cave-like FirstBank, located within a wooded, natural stone quarry. The unique venue felt like stepping deep into a secluded Tennessee park—and it was made all the more special with Del Rey's magic. Her smoke-covered stage was decorated with large mirrors, white curtains within gold frames, a small vanity, flowers and fairy lights.

Lana Del Rey hits the stage at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
Lana Del Rey hits the stage at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.

Fans funneled into the quarry wearing white, billowy dresses, large bows, heart-shaped sunglasses and red lipstick and nails, in true girlish Lana fashion. After "Denim & Diamonds" singer-songwriter Nikki Lane hit the stage with her country swagger as the opener, Del Rey entered and started her set off with the second half of recent hit "A&W."

Here are some of the highlights from Del Rey's Thursday evening concert.

Her cosmic performance of 'Young And Beautiful'

Lana Del Rey performing "Young And Beautiful" at FirstBank Amphitheater Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Lana Del Rey performing "Young And Beautiful" at FirstBank Amphitheater Thursday, September 14, 2023.

Lana Del Rey sang "Young And Beautiful" as the second song of the night. Accompanied by five backup dancers, the song took on a theatrical life of its own. The dancers, clad in black leotards, moved around Del Rey in lyrical patterns, dancing smoothly throughout the dramatic ballad. Behind Lana a screen showed a black night sky sprinkled with stars, and if audience members were to look up, they would see the same view above the concert as well.

The song hit its peak when Del Rey's dancers worked together to lift up the back of her lengthy dress, making it appear as though she was flying through the night sky. Del Rey crooned, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? / Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?"

The four-part harmonies on 'The Grants'

The fifth track of the night, "The Grants," is from Del Rey's most recent album. Titled after her family last name, "The Grants" is a song about closeness and nostalgia. Lana lined up beside her three background singers, who wore sparkly dresses and matching white cowboy boots, and the four of them performed the melody together.

The song built on itself and made for an impressive vocal performance that featured four-part harmonies. As the four warbled lyrics, "Like Rocky Mountain High / The way John Denver sings," the harmonies echoed throughout the amphitheater.

Lana Del Rey performs at FirstBank Amphitheater Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 alongside lyrical backup dancers.
Lana Del Rey performs at FirstBank Amphitheater Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 alongside lyrical backup dancers.

Del Rey's cover of 'Stand by your Man'

"Even though we had Nikki Lane, my favorite singer, open here with all her amazing outlaw country, we still want to do one of my favorite standards, that's "Stand by your Man," said Del Rey. The hit, recorded by Tammy Wynette in 1968 in Nashville, brought an element of classic country to Del Rey's typical alternative pop.

The standard country cover was well received by the surprised audience, who sang along as male backup dancers joined Del Rey's entourage of female dancers on stage for an intimate, sweet waltz.

A jazzy, seductive version of 'Diet Mountain Dew'

The stage lights went all green as Lana geared up for her classic, "Diet Mountain Dew." But this time, it was different. Undoubtedly one of the most musically adventurous parts of the show, Del Rey and her band gave a new life to the 2012 song.

The performance was moody and flirtatious, with percussive beats and jazzy piano as videos of cars driving down city streets flashed on the screen. Del Rey and her backup dancers and singers moved to one side of the stage, moving their arms and legs together as they performed steamy choreography in sync.

Swinging into nostalgia during 'Video Games'

Lana Del Rey sits at vanity during performance at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
Lana Del Rey sits at vanity during performance at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.

During her hit "Video Games," Lana Del Rey hopped on a flower-covered swing on stage. As she performed one of the final songs of the evening, Del Rey swung back and forth with wind blowing in her hair. Videos of a younger Del Rey played on the screen behind her, creating a wistful moment.

Before performing her last song, Lana Del Rey said, "Nashville has been such a safe haven for me this last year, so f***ing grateful for all of the things that I've been able to do, the music I've been writing, the people I've been meeting. And I am going to leave you with our title track of the last album, "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd."

And then, exiting the stage with no encore, Del Rey announced, "Thank you so much, Nashville. I'll see you tomorrow."

The stage prior to Lana Del Rey's entrance and performance of "A&W" at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
The stage prior to Lana Del Rey's entrance and performance of "A&W" at FirstBank Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.

Lana Del Rey's Franklin, TN Set List

A&W

Young And Beautiful

Bartender

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

The Grants

Cherry

Pretty When You Cry

Ride

Stand by your Man

Blue Jeans

Norman F***king Rockwell

Arcadia

Ultraviolence

Born To Die

Diet Mountain Dew

Video Games

Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lana Del Rey covers Tammy Wynette to open tour in Tennessee | Review