Review: Chris Stapleton stole the show at unreal Brisbane Entertainment Centre performance

It was a bona fide sea of denim and cowboy boots as country music star Chris Stapleton touched down at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the first time and boy did he deliver, writes Ayla Connolly.

Chris Stapleton during his Australian tour 2025. Photo: Andy Barron

For a show that sold out tens of thousands of tickets in mere minutes, last night’s Chris Stapleton concert felt more like a deeply intimate invitation into his inner circle.

It was a bona fide blue sea of denim and cowboy boots at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as Stapleton hit the Sunshine State for the first time.

Kicking off the night with some of the smoothest blues rock this reviewer has heard in a while was support act Marcus King, who gave fans a thrilling foray into what was to come.

Absolute shredding his way through the first tunes, decked out in his own Canadian tuxedo, King seamlessly flowed between soulful beats like Hero and truly southern rock anthems like ‘Raising Hell’, capturing the fullest attention of the room, with barely a phone seen in hand.

King admitted there was a stomach bug running rampant among those backstage, though with the absolute skill his band played with, you would never have guessed at least one was not well.

It was clear throughout his performance that King was beyond grateful to be here, repeatedly thanking every single audience, team and band member for their support and contribution, yet it never seemed disingenuous

Chris Stapleton during his Australian tour 2025. Photo: Andy Barron

It was hard to imagine the quality of the performance improving much on what King had so graciously bestowed upon his entirely captivated audience, yet after an admittedly jarring half-hour of full overhead lights and what can best be described as “yeehaw muzak”, it became clear the atmosphere was about to hit a whole other level.

I feared the intermission would crush the carefully cultivated energy King had managed to rouse in the audience but I needn’t have worried.

The second the lights dimmed and Chris Stapleton commanded the stage with those the first few immediately recognisable bars of white horse, breaths were collectively held, and I think it’s safe to say there mustn’t have been an arm in the room free from goosebumps.

The stage set, kept sweet and simple for King had been transformed into a flawlessly executed production unto itself, with subtle smoke and a backdrop of hundreds of individual barrel lights, flicking and changing to perfectly capture every emotion and beat.

There was no time for pretension for Stapleton in neither his simple, well-worn get up, or in his set-list as he powered through three of his biggest hits, back-to-back, before stopping to chat.

“Here’s how it’ll go, I don’t do a whole lot of talking… I’m gonna play a whole lot of music in the time we have,” Stapleton said, before slipping into a moving performance of Millionaire.

Stapleton was joined on stage by his longstanding vocal and life partner, Morgane, who has performed backing and duet vocals for her husband since the development of his album Traveller in 2015.

The two had hearts melting as Stapleton sang every number to his wife, his gaze barely leaving hers as he grinned and playfully danced with her at every opportunity.

In a stadium packed with thousands of adoring fans, there was only one person Stapleton was truly playing for, giving us all a glimpse at the clear driving force behind the music that has his fans so deeply, emotionally connected to his music.

It was truly their world and we were all lucky enough to watch on in awe.

As the two came together for a tear-jerking performance of It Takes A Woman, it felt almost like an intrusion on an intimate moment, finishing with Morgane applauding her husband just as adoringly as the audience.

However, it wasn’t long before his band and wife departed the stage, only briefly, as Stapleton played a few numbers solo.

“This is I how I used to do it, so we are just going to go back to how I used to do it,” Stapleton said.

“I used to play this to a room full of nobody.”

Chris Stapleton during his Australian tour 2025. Photo: Andy Barron

Stripping back the theatricality and production of the show so far, Stapleton perched at the front of the stage with just a single strip of warm yellow light, treating us to three beautifully acoustic pieces including Mountains on My Mind before upping the tempo once more and powering through hours of some of his best hits.

The crowd seemingly started to waver in their enthusiasm as Stapleton hit close to two hours of straight performing, with barely a spoken word uttered between, but his well-timed delivery of Broken Halos brought them back from the brink.

All the night needed to hit that sweet, sweet point of pure perfection was the sultry, velvety smooth Tennessee Whisky, and Stapleton was not here to disappoint.

Teasing us in with the familiar rhythm, Stapleton veered into a sung introduction of his entire band, some of whom he has made music with for 25 years, before lovingly introducing his wife.

“Baby baby baby, this my lady…. Let’s hear it for Miss Morgan…. Now let’s drink some whisky,” Stapleton said.

A surprise encore gifted us with the chance to hear a few intimate words from Stapleton and a sweet acoustic version of the first song he had played on the radio- “What are you listening to”, which saw him choke back a few tears.

I think it’s safe to say that even if you had entered the Brisbane Entertainment Centre this evening not a fan, it would have been nigh on impossible to leave without falling in love with the man and the music.

Signed a, somewhat reluctantly, but wholeheartedly, converted country music fan.