Russell Dickerson immediately brought high energy to the Daytime Stage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival presented by Samsung Galaxy.

Dickerson kicked off his set with his upbeat 2017 hit “Every Little Thing.” The denim-clad country artist was one of several to take the iHeartRadio Daytime Music Festival stage in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon (September 18). Others in the star-studded lineup include fellow country singer Gabby Barrett, 24kGoldn, Tate McRae, Conan Gray, Yungblud, All Time Low, Saweetie, The Kid Laroi and Olivia Rodrigo.

Before setting foot on the Daytime Stage, Dickerson looked like he was having a blast over the festival weekend. On the way to Vegas on Friday (September 17), Dickerson drummed up anticipation with a masked selfie from the plane (complete with a camo-patterned neck pillow) on his Instagram story: “OH YESSS VEGAS HERE WE COME.” The “Blue Tacoma” singer introduced Darius Rucker at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on Friday, and spent the night backstage before his performance the following day.

Earlier this year, Dickerson dropped a sweet, family-focused music video for his single “Home Sweet.” It's packed with home videos that take a look back at the past eight years with his wife Kailey and their son Remington. He released it on the eight-year anniversary of his and Kailey’s engagement (so, naturally, the music video kicks off with footage of the proposal). “Home Sweet” is one of several hit songs from Dickerson’s sophomore album Southern Symphony, along with “Love You Like I Used To.”

That song was the first one fans got to hear from Southern Symphony, which released last year. Dickerson explained at the time that the beginning “makes you think it is a breakup song, but it is really a lead up to how great loves evolve and get better over time. Like all of my songs, I’ve lived it. I started dating my wife 10 years ago, and it is true — I don’t love her like I used to, and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this song."

But the song that Dickerson credits with changing his life is “Yours,” the sentimental ballad from his 2017 debut album of the same name. It was the second song he delivered in his set list on the Daytime Stage on Saturday. Before his performance, Dickerson reflected on his career, including his tenacity to launch the debut hit. After getting turned down by record labels, Dickerson and his wife took matters into their own hands. They filmed a music video themselves — all for $6. In January, Dickerson took to social media to reflect on writing the song: “…(I) listened to it a thousand times because we felt how special it was.”

If you missed any of the action this weekend, you can relive the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival by tuning in to The CW Network on Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 3rd from 8-10pm ET/PT for a two-night television special.

Joey Brooks