Tonight Hunter Hayes and his CMT Let’s Get Crazy Tour will take the John R. Emens Auditorium stage for a one-night only performance. Hayes and opener Striking Matches will begin their show at 7:30 p.m.
At 22, Hayes’ first studio album has gone platinum, he was nominated for three awards during the 55th Grammy Awards season and the Country Music Association named him the best New Artist of 2012.
He has also developed a group of loyal fans, commonly referred to as “Hayniacs.”
*THE TOURING FAN: DANIELLE HOOD
*To say that Danielle Hood of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a loyal Hunter Hayes fan is an understatement. Tonight’s show will mark the 85th time she has seen Hayes perform, and she has met him about 75 times. She has traveled to 20 different states and 60 cities to see him, and she never gets tired of hearing the same songs.
“It all started a little over two years ago when my mom called me up and said, ‘Turn on the radio, there’s a new guy who’s really good.’ Ever since that day in 2011 and after hearing Hunter’s first single, ‘Storm Warning,’ I was hooked,” Hood said.
Hood first saw Hayes perform and met him at a Country Music Association Fest in Nashville. She said Hayes had a very simple setup, but she enjoyed his 45-minute set.
“I will never forget the first time I saw and met the incredible person they call Hunter Hayes,” she said.
After that weekend in Nashville, Hood continued to follow Hayes closely. She saw him at a few small events and made sure to make her way to a local Best Buy to buy his album the day it came out. She listened to it everyday for a month because “it was that good.”
“Eleven days after the release of the album, I had tickets to see [Hayes] in Columbus, Ohio,” Hood said. “I remember during the show he asked if anyone got the album, and I held mine up and screamed. He looked right at me and said, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. You should all follow her lead, if you haven’t already, and go get it.’ My heart sank into my stomach.”
Hood’s dedication to Hayes continued to build. She took a trip with fellow fans to Louisiana, his native state, to see a few of his shows, watch him get inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and then went to his hometown of Breaux Bridge, La., and saw where he grew up. This was a trip she said she would never forget.
Hood has been a part of a lot of Hayes’ firsts during his music career. She attended his first show at the Grand Ole Opry, and she has already attended four shows during his first headlining tour.
“Over the past two years, I’ve seen Hunter grow so much musically,” she said. “His live shows have changed dramatically. It’s so cool getting to see this transformation firsthand because it has just made me appreciate him even more.”
*THE FAN WHO SURVIVED TRAGEDY WITH HAYES’ MUSIC: NICOLE HATHAWAY
*Nicole Hathaway is a junior speech therapy student at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. She is traveling to Ball State tonight to see his concert.
Hathaway first saw Hayes when he opened for Taylor Swift on her Speak Now tour in July 2011. She attended the show with her best friend, and she said both of them were blown away by his performance. They agreed that they needed to see him again.
That same night, about halfway through the show, Hathaway logged on Facebook and saw a series of posts asking people to pray for her family.
“I had no clue what was going on. I texted my mom and asked her. All she would tell me was my cousin had gotten into a bad car accident,” she said. “After the show, I got on Facebook again and was trying to look for answers. I found out that the worst came true: My cousin had passed away.”
At first, she wasn’t sure how she would get through this tragic accident. Not long after, Hayes’ first album was released. She had it on repeat for months.
“Hunter’s music helped me through that time. He gave me hope that it would all be okay,” she said. “His song ‘Faith to Fall Back On’ was one of the many songs that really helped me.”
Hathaway said she wrote Hayes a letter telling her story last year and gave it to him during a meet-and-greet session she attended. The letter thanked him for helping her get through the accident.
“I gave it to him during a coffee house experience, his meet and greets before the show, but he didn’t have time to look at it.” she said. “After the show, I met him again. He gave me a big hug, so I’m thinking that he read the letter.”
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