Paisley's country is delivered with energy

Paisley, one of contemporary country music's most likable and gifted musicians, pulled into Mansfield in support of his forthcoming album of that name and kick started the weekend with style, energy, and grace.

Whether he was working the stage alone - as he did at the start with a quick verse and chorus of the irresistible "Start a Band" - his musician-encouraging duet with Keith Urban - or in the pocket with his tight-knit seven man band, Paisley showed nearly unerring instincts both as a guitar hero and bandleader. The hour and 45 minute set had impeccable flow as Paisley balanced his pop and traditional country sides and his jokier tunes with the more poignant aspects of his catalog.

And that catalog is a beaut, full of universal truths peppered with clever twists that go down easy. He reminded us that life does get better after high school ("Letter to Me"), that love can be frustrating but also long lasting ("Waitin' on a Woman"), and that a good laugh can at least temporarily ease whatever burden you may be feeling ("I'm Gonna Miss Her," "Ticks"). An acoustic set included the more solemn "When I Get Where I'm Going" and the dark melancholy of "Whiskey Lullaby," which featured duet partner Alison Krauss via video.

Paisley easily wove new tunes into the list of favorites, scoring laughs and an immediate singalong with "The Pants," another in his line of funny, if a little too facile, Mars/Venus numbers.

Long involved in making his shows as visually inventive as possible - the silver two-tiered set was flanked by a phalanx of video screens - Paisley the artist also made an appearance. As is his custom he created a new animated video - this time a hilarious cartoon that depicted him as a superhero saving other country stars like Kenny Chesney and Reba McEntire from rogue dinosaurs and robots - to accompany the night's fleetly picked instrumental. A Paisley bobblehead enjoyed a global adventure during "The World" and a swirl of mathematic symbols and formulas floated by during "You Do the Math."

Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne, who both acquitted themselves nicely in well-received opening sets, transformed the encore into a man-fest joining in on the antic "Alcohol," before Paisley closed it down with a spin through Don Henley's seasonally appropriate "Boys of Summer."