Ashley McBryde Brings Humor, Heart, and Southern Harmonies to Grand Falls Casino
Ashley McBryde Lights Up Grand Falls Event Center in Larchwood, IA • July 24, 2026
A Friday night at Grand Falls Casino offers no shortage of entertainment. Guests can try their luck on the casino floor, unwind in a hotel suite, enjoy dinner at one of the property's restaurants, or spend the day on the golf course. For many on this particular evening, however, the destination was the Event Center, where Ashley McBryde delivered a memorable night of country music.
A Night Without an Opener
As someone who loves arriving early to catch opening acts for the chance to discover new artists before they become household names; there is also something refreshing about a concert with only one artist on the bill. There’s no waiting through multiple sets before the main event. The audience gets exactly what they came for from the moment the lights go down.
That was the case for Ashley McBryde fans.
Raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, McBryde has steadily built one of country music’s most respected careers. After releasing an independent EP in 2016, she broke through nationally with her acclaimed debut album Girl Going Nowhere in 2018. Since then, she has earned a reputation for honest songwriting, powerhouse vocals, and unforgettable live performances.
A Live Performance That Converts Skeptics
I’ll be the first to admit that country music has never been my strongest genre. Anyone who regularly follows my work already knows my playlists lean in a very different direction.
But live country music is an entirely different experience.
McBryde’s voice was both commanding and soothing, effortlessly filling the venue while maintaining an intimate warmth that recordings simply can’t capture in my opinion. Every lyric felt authentic, whether she was delivering a heartfelt ballad or a humorous story.
The production elevated the experience even further.
Grand Falls Event Center holds roughly 1,100 people, yet the lighting design transformed the room into something that felt far larger. Dynamic colors, sweeping beams, and perfectly timed cues gave each song its own atmosphere. It was one of those productions that looked even more impressive in person than any photo could fully capture.
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A Band Full of Musicians
One of the evening’s highlights wasn’t just McBryde herself but the incredible musicians surrounding her.
Between songs, she shared stories and joked with the audience, making the inevitable instrument changes feel completely natural instead of slowing the show down.
That transition time became entertainment in itself.
Nearly every member of the band swapped instruments multiple times throughout the night, creating what could only be described as an organized musical fire drill. Guitars became mandolins, basses became acoustic instruments, and musicians constantly rotated positions around the stage without missing a beat.
The choreography behind those changes was almost as impressive as the music itself.
“Brenda Put Your Bra On” Lives Up to the Hype
Then came perhaps the most anticipated and certainly the funniest moment of the evening.
“Brenda Put Your Bra On” has become something of a fan favorite since its release in 2023, and seeing it performed live is an experience all its own.
Before beginning the song, McBryde jokingly apologized for the stronger language than what fans typically hear in her catalog and warned any children in attendance not to repeat what they were about to hear.
The audience laughed and then the stage crew started tossing bras onto the stage. With McBryde even throwing one into the audience.
The absurdity perfectly matched the tongue in cheek storytelling of the song, turning an already entertaining performance into one of the night’s most memorable moments.
It was pure fun from beginning to end.
The Emotional High Point
As entertaining as the comedy was, the performance that stayed with me most was “Sparrow.”
Before playing the song, McBryde shared the deeply personal story behind it, explaining how it reflects the parallel journeys of her brother serving aboard Navy ships while she spends much of her life traveling America’s highways. She also spoke about the sparrow tattoos on her back and what they symbolize.
Knowing that story made every lyric land with even greater emotion.
Combined with the breathtaking harmonies from the band, it became the emotional centerpiece of the evening.
There’s something uniquely beautiful about Southern voices blending together in harmony. The warmth, texture, and authenticity they create are difficult to replicate in any other style of music, and “Sparrow” showcased that better than any other song in the set.
Afterglow
Ashley McBryde delivered exactly the kind of concert fans hope for. A show that could make you laugh one minute and leave you reflecting the next.
Between the trailer park antics of “Brenda Put Your Bra On,” the heartfelt storytelling behind “Sparrow,” the outstanding musicianship across the stage, and one of the best lighting productions I’ve seen in a venue this size, the evening offered far more than just another country concert.
Even for someone who doesn’t typically spend much time listening to country music, the performance was easy to appreciate and connect with.
If Ashley McBryde makes a stop near your hometown, she’s absolutely worth seeing live. With tour dates continuing across the country through December, there’s still plenty of opportunity to catch the show for yourself.
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