Thomas Rhett takes fans on a tour of his top country hits at the Iowa State Fair

Cowboy hats and boots, high-waisted denim, and sundresses littered the crowd at the Thomas Rhett concert at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday night.

Rhett, who kicked off his "Home Team" Tour in May 2023 at Wells Fargo Arena, returned to Des Moines 16 months later to give fans more. The country star is touring ahead of his upcoming album, "About a Woman," out Aug. 23.

The Grammy-nominated artist performed an hour-and-25-minute set for fans, throwing out a setlist with hits from his first album released in 2013, "It Goes Like This," to playing newer material featuring his song from the "Twisters" soundtrack, "Feelin' Country."

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Priscilla Block captivates the crowd with her charisma

Opening the night was Priscilla Block, the up-and-coming country music star who first rose to fame in 2020 with her single "Just About Over You," that went viral on TikTok.

She hit the stage with a black Solo cup, asking the crowd, "Hey, Iowa, whatcha doing tonight?" A nod to her song, "Hey Jack," off her EP, "PB2," which came out this past June.

She continued to perform a 45-minute set, playing hits off of her EP and album "Welcome To The Block Party," with songs like "Bad Guy," "My Bar," and "Thick Thighs." She also performed her top-charting duet with Justin Moore, "You, Me, and Whiskey," which blends Moore's traditional country roots with Block's contemporary sound. Moore was not at the concert, but bassist Josh Beale sang the duet with Block.

Block turned the Grandstand into a boot-stomping party, getting the crowd hyped for Rhett and winning over people in the audience with her relatable lyrics and charming stage presence. At the end of her opening set, she shotgunned a can of Busch Light, a reference to the unofficial beer drink of Iowa.

"You guys got one job for the next hour, one job," Block told the crowd at the start of her set. "We are going to party our butts off for the next hour. Is that OK with ya'll?"

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Thomas Rhett brings boot scooting set to the Iowa State Fair

At 9:15 p.m., the crowd started buzzing in tune with the neon stage lights as Rhett opened with "Vacation," then followed with "Look What God Gave Her," playfully replacing the lyrics with "Look what God gave this crowd," something he would continue to do throughout the night.

"Iowa, you feeling good tonight? Ya'll, I love this town. You don't understand," he told the crowd, reflecting on his many tour stops in Iowa over the years, and admitted that they changed the setlist specifically for the State Fair show, which included the first live performance of "After All the Bars Are Closed," Rhett's latest single from his forthcoming album.

Throughout the show, Rhett commanded the stage, walking from each side, sometimes with a guitar slung over his body. He would often crouch down while singing, seemingly to get closer to the crowd.

From start to finish, he had everyone in the audience on their feet while playing songs like "Half of Me," "Gone Country," and "Get Me Some of That." The crowd even sang along to newer songs like "Overdrive," just released two weeks ago. Rhett often let the crowd take over the lyrics.

"I've never felt energy like this on a Tuesday night."

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Rhett, a known family guy who often features his wife and four daughters in music videos, shared brief stories about his family but always quickly got back to the music. He kept any stage banter to a minimum so as not to disturb the flow and pacing of the show, but he would always take the time to gush over the lively audience and band members playing brief solos, showing off their skills.

"Thank you, Des Moines; I love you," Rhett told the crowd. "You are so wonderful; thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Rhett, best known for his modern country-pop style mixed with his traditional influences, perhaps as a nod to his father, Rhett Akins, took the time to perform the emotional ballad "Marry Me," apologizing to the crowd for having to play a sad song during the spirited set.

However, that didn't slow down the crowd, as they remained standing and continued singing along, but this time, friends and lovers wrapped their arms around their concert partners.

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To bring the energy back up, Rhett told the audience that he was going to be playing six decades of music in a medley of songs from the ’70s to the 2010s, playing chunks of songs like Earth Wind and Fire's "September," Nysnc's "Bye, Bye, Bye," and "That's What I Like," by Bruno Mars. However, he didn't break out any signature moves from the boy band; he continued to boot scoot across the stage, finishing off his set, while the five-piece band behind him played rhythmically, a harmonious blend of pulsating basslines, crisp drum beats, and acoustic, electric and steel guitar blending together.

He ended the final part of the set with some of his best-known hits, which included his top-charting song "Die a Happy Man." Phone lights lit up the Grandstand when he changed the last chorus to: "Des Moines, if it's the last show I ever play, you know I could die a happy man."

"Crash and Burn" and "Country Song" topped off the set of 21 songs Rhett played at the concert before hopping off the stage to sign merch and shake hands with audience members pressed against the general admission barricade while the band members threw their guitar picks from the stage before the fireworks display went off for the night, the official ending to the Grandstand concert.

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Next up at the State Fair Grandstand is hard rock band M?tley Crüe on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Thomas Rhett performs an electric set at the Iowa State Fair