A monsoon hit the Great Jones County Fair late Saturday afternoon but in Monticello, Iowa the show must go on.

Saturday afternoon at 5:30, the Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell, Chris Lane show that was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. was a big question mark. Three hours later, Chris Lane was on stage.

The late-starting show forced opener Chris Lane's set to be only 15 minutes. He took every one of those minutes to earn new fans above and beyond those who already are in love with his Top 5 hit "Fix."

Cole Swindell took to the stage next and his set, also shortened to just over a half-hour, featured a growing stable of hits. Just as Lauren Alaina had done the night before, Cole marveled at the size and loudness of the massive crowd. If the inclement weather kept anyone away, it was impossible to notice. Cole feels like an artist on the verge of stardom and his performance will only add to the fervor in KHAK Country.

When the clock struck 10:00, on the nose, Florida Georgia Line descended from the heavens onto the stage. That's the way it seemed anyway, as Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley were both lowered from just below the stage roof, on individual platforms.

For me, things started a little slowly. The duo played several new songs from their highly-anticipated album, "Dig Your Roots," (released August 26) early in their set and didn't seem like they kept momentum song to song. However, when they finally hit their stride, the party was on and what a PARTY it was.

You could probably see all the cell phones lit up for Florida Georgia Line's "Get Your Shine On" from outer space. The sheer numbers and brightness were incredible. "Sun Daze" also brought the crazy out of the crowd but things really went off the charts when the duo jammed through some of the music that influenced them growing up. Their first smash, "Cruise," wrapped the show and fireworks almost instantly lit up a sky that only hours before had been so uncooperative.

It was another incredible night at the Great Jones County Fair and we're already looking forward to the two country shows we announced for 2017. The first is only 362 days away. Yes, we're already counting.

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