Photo by Bill Green Country singer Josh Turner performs Friday at The Great Frederick Fair.

Reed was their with her friend Katelyn Hawse, 16, both of Walkersville . Hawse has friends who are life members of the fair and snagged the tickets for them.

Even luckier was Andrea Genson, 21. The Hampstead resident went backstage for a pre-concert meet and greet. "I hugged him. I was so nervous," Genson said. She had Turner autograph her ticket and the fan club sticker that got her backstage.

"His songs are relatable," Genson said. "His voice is different than a lot of country artists."

Yes, Turner is known and recognized for his smooth baritone.

"He sounds as gorgeous as he looks," said one of Genson's friends, Valerie Duvall, 21, of Wolfsville. Turner's music has a special place in her heart -- she and her boyfriend listen "to his music all the time. 'Soulmate' is our song."

Ali Blickenstaff, 21, just shook his hand when she met him. "I wish I would have hugged him," said the Wolfsville resident.

"I have the first album he made and he signed it," said Patsy Shade, 71, of Smithsburg. She's met the singer twice, and this was her third concert. "He's so sweet."

Longtime country music fan Virginia Rogers, 73, of Emmitsburg , has been to Nashville several times, but this was her first Turner concert. "I like his songs and his deep voice," Rogers said, who attended the show with her brother Ray Brown, 64, of Thurmont . "Every year we come to one show," Rogers said, something they've done for at least 20 years.

"He's got that deep country voice," said Brown.

Turner opened the show with his chart-topping hit "Firecracker" and rolled right into the stompin' "White Noise," "Backwoods Boy," "Way Down South" and "So Not My Baby," before taking a break to chat with the near-capacity crowd.

Earlier in the day, he visited the grave site of Francis Scott Key, a fellow songwriter whose most famous song he sang recently before a race in New Hampshire. "I never realized he was a resident of Frederick ," Turner said, noting he hasn't played in Maryland very often but "maybe we need to make it a habit."

Turner sang "Why Don't We Just Dance," the first single from his upcoming album "Haywire." Live shots of the band and video clips played on screens at both ends of the stage.

Turner included songs he wrote about his faith, "Me and God" and "The Way He Was Raised" and "Long Black Train."

He was backed by his seven-member band, the Tonkin' Honkies, which includes his wife, Jennifer, on keyboards and background vocals.