Students, alumni and parents donned their cowboy boots and hats to see McCollum during the second weekend of his “What Kinda Man” tour. People of all ages gathered for the up-and-coming country singer’s show, some of them long-time fans of McCollum.
One fan, Claire Haughey, drove from Cape Cod for the show. Having moved up North from Texas, she was excited to see McCollum for the third time – though she couldn’t shake a sense of anxiousness.
“I hope he doesn’t stop the show halfway through again,” Haughey said.
Several other fans shared Haughey’s sentiment after McCollum’s Pennsylvania concert was cut short unexpectedly.
Despite lingering concerns from fans, McCollum’s performance on Thursday went off without a hitch, and the crowd was treated to a high-energy show. The evening kicked off with two openers who helped set the stage for McCollum.
First was Laci Kaye Booth, a former contestant from Season 17 of “American Idol” and a rising pop-country artist. Booth captivated the audience with an unreleased original titled “Pretty Little Pistol.”
Then, with a lilting country accent, Booth jokingly told the crowd: “If you guys really like it, I’ll talk to the boss about gettin’ it out on Spotify.”
As Booth’s set wrapped up, she stirred up the crowd with a rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” Audience members joined in, singing along before welcoming the next opener to the stage.
Kameron Marlowe took the stage next, captivating the crowd with his heavy-country style. Several fans in the audience, including third-year University of Rhode Island students Dylan Jones and Gabby Moore, recognized Marlowe.
“I knew it was going to be a good show just from the fact we had tickets to see Parker,” Jones said. “But seeing Kameron on the same night is insane.”
Jones later shared that he purchased the concert tickets as a two-year anniversary gift for Moore. With the crowd still buzzing from the surprise of his appearance, Marlowe’s performance continued to impress as he delivered a powerful set that had fans on their feet.
Beyond the excitement of the performances, the concert also carried a deeper purpose with part of the proceeds benefiting the Ruger Fund – an organization McCollum founded in 2023 to support charities that hold personal significance to him. According to the University of Rhode Island’s event page, for every ticket sold on the “What Kinda Man” tour, $1 is donated to the Ruger Fund. On the fund’s Culture & Community page, it shares that it contributes to organizations such as Project ChildSafe, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Walk the Talk America.
Staff at the Ryan Center stated that around 5,000 tickets were sold for Thursday’s show, giving the Ruger Fund $5,000. Many fans were unaware that part of their ticket purchase supported the organization, some expressed increased respect for McCollum.
One of these fans, Brady Cotter, expressed his admiration for McCollum’s cause.
“I have a lot of respect for Parker for that, more artists should follow his lead,” Cotter said.
The night wasn’t just about his music – it was also about giving back.
