Concert Review
Jo Dee Messina
Batavia Downs
Batavia, NY
Friday August 14, 2026
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
The 2026 Batavia Downs “Rockin’ the Downs” concerts series closed the book on another great season out at the fabled racetrack Friday evening. With a ton of major concerts going on in the Western NY area that night, the Downs had a very healthy crowd on hand to witness country superstar Jo Dee Messina. Messina who is currently on tour supporting Bridges, her first studio album in some 12 years. She played a solid mix of her new album along with her other hits and even threw in some well-known cover tunes.
Kicking off with new song “Welcome To The Show” it began the proceedings with a pop. The new songs really went over well in concert especially “Some Bridges” and “Can Anybody”. Had these two songs been released as singles back at her height of popularity they would have been monstrous.
The medley thing was very cool and grabbed the audience’s throughout as she went from one popular song after another. The medley ranged from Pat Benatar to The Outfield and a lot in between. She ended with a stellar version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”.
One thing can be said and that is the new album Bridges is stunning. One can clearly see why she is playing a lot from it in her sets because it is that good. She had a solid backing band including one guitar player who had to learn the material pretty quick as he had to fill in for one of her regular players. She played a lot of variety and showcased some of the music she liked and still left everyone satisfied. That is what we call a win-win.
With the success of this show it would only seem fitting Messina would return again in the future. She helped close out the season in spectacular fashion making it one of the best attended shows of the season. Here’s to next year cheers!!!
