Welcome Back To The Plains Tour: Wyatt Flores and Noah Rinker - Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg has long been a city that rewards artists who make the trek north, and on November 15, 2025, the Burton Cummings Theatre did what it does best: embraced two rising country storytellers with open arms. The Welcome Back To The Plains Tour rolled into town for its final Canadian date, marking the first-ever Winnipeg performances for both Noah Rinker and Wyatt Flores—and the packed, completely sold-out theatre made it clear that their arrivals were overdue.

Noah Rinker. All photos by Samuel Stevens.

Oklahoma-bred rising artist Noah Rinker set the tone early with “Tumbleweed,” easing the crowd in before flipping the room’s energy with a run of rugged fan favourites. His voice—dusty, muscular, and steeped in frontier grit—cut through “Red Bandana” and “Hand on My Gun” with confidence beyond his years.

By “Matches & Gasoline,” Rinker had the whole room locked in, his band firing on all cylinders while he stalked the stage like someone with something to prove. Yet he balanced that intensity with warmth, slowing things down beautifully on “After Dark” and “The Bend,” both of which showcased a vulnerability that clearly resonated with the crowd.

One of the night’s standout surprises was his sharp, moody take on Tears for Fears' 1985 smash hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”—a bold and atmospheric reimagining that felt tailor-made for his voice. He closed his set with “Save My Soul,” a charged, aching performance that left the audience buzzing and fully primed for the headliner. If this was Winnipeg’s introduction to Noah Rinker, it was a memorable one. When Wyatt Flores stepped onstage to the opening strums of “Welcome to the Plains,” the theatre erupted. Flores’ relationship with his fans has grown rapidly in recent years, but this Winnipeg crowd felt especially hungry—singing nearly every word immediately from the jump.

The first portion of the set—“West of Tulsa,” “Running Out of Time,” and a rousing “Oh Susannah,”—showed Flores at his most energetic. But as the night progressed, his gift for confessional storytelling took center stage. “Little Town,” “Break My Bones,” and “3/13” landed with heavy emotional weight, while the room fell nearly silent during the heart-wrenching “Stillwater” and “Losing Sleep.”

Wyatt Flores. All photos by Samuel Stevens.

Flores also gave Winnipeg a rare treat with the spiritual swell of “I Believe In God,” followed by the poignant “Forget Your Voice.” The crowd roared for “John Deere Green,” his playful Joe Diffie cover, before he plunged into a devastating mid-set run: “When I Die,” “Holes,” and “Half The Man”—three songs that encapsulate his raw, unfiltered approach to songwriting.

The late-show highlights didn’t stop. “Orange Bottles” hit like a confession whispered into the void, and his dramatic cover of The Fray's “How to Save a Life” filled the theatre with a cathartic hush. The main set closer, “Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight,” lit up the room, sending everyone to their feet.

Returning to the stage, Flores delivered a stunning, intimate version of “Bird Hunters” that instantly became one of the night’s peak moments. Immediately after came the night's final song, “Wish I Could Stay,” a bittersweet and fitting finale—not just to the concert, but to the Canadian leg of the tour. Given the crowd’s response, it’s fair to say Winnipeg wishes he could stay, too.

The Welcome Back To The Plains Tour made its mark in Winnipeg, offering an unforgettable night of heartland grit, emotional transparency, and world-class songwriting from two artists who are only just beginning to hit their stride.

For a city known for embracing storytellers and song-driven artistry, this tour closer felt like the start of a long, welcome relationship—one that fans will be eager to continue the next time Noah Rinker and Wyatt Flores return to the prairies.