With a powerful punch, Miranda Lambert began the weekend a little early on Thursday night with her “On Fire” tour, which included openers Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young.

Kicking off the night was Kansas native Niemann, who joined the tour in promotion of his third album “Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury.” Niemann’s upbeat attitude and energy enthralled the mostly female crowd. Starting his set, Niemann opened with his newest released single “One More Drinkin’ Song,” which the Amherst crowd seemed to eat right up.

Continuing his set, Niemann slowed things down a bit to play his emotional ballad “What Do You Want,” a sad plea to a woman who keeps coming back just as the man is starting to get over her. Closing out Niemann’s set was his first single “Lover, Lover,” a catchy jam that left fans begging for more.

Next to take the stage was Chris Young, also starting off his set with a tribute to alcohol with his song “Save Water, Drink Beer.” With his dark hair and deep voice, Young’s charismatic persona had fans screaming and dancing to his set – which was rather long for an opening act.

Crooning “The Man I Want To Be” and “Gettin’ You Home” – both off Young’s second major label release – had many female fans wishing he was singing directly to them. Young also delivered a powerful country rendition of Stevie Wonder’s hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” which seemed to be a hit with the large population of parents at the show.

Young continued to serenade the crowd with his ballads like “Voices,” “Tomorrow” and his latest single, “You,” before leaving the stage to headliner Lambert.

As the lights dimmed, Beyonce’s “Run The World” blasted over the speakers, echoing through the Mullins Center. Upon the projectors came a video montage of influential women including Jackie Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga and Beyonce. The video ended as the curtain dropped on stage, revealing Lambert, clad in a sparkly dress and high-heeled boots, complete with a pink guitar.

Starting off the set, Lambert launched into “Kerosene,” a guitar-driven anthem dedicated to lying ex-boyfriends. Lambert’s music had the audience up and dancing to her songs.

Following “Kerosene,” Lambert played one of her better known singles, “Heart Like Mine,” to start off the show and get fans warmed up for her performance.

Lambert played a medley of her more well-known songs and including some covers. Covering Tom Petty’s “Free Girl Now,” Lambert explained how the song empowered her and made the audience stand up and scream it with her.

Lambert and her band also launched into a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s smash single “Up Around The Bend.” On both covers, Lambert sang with a giddy excitement and energy, adding her own style to the songs.

As she ran around the stage, Lambert put her all into her performance and interacting with the audience, recounting anecdotes of her newly married life and her adventures at the Grammy Awards, which included sitting next to Lady Gaga.

Describing a conversation at the Grammys, Lambert explained that Gaga had asked her if there were any rivalries in country music. Lambert then launched into “Only Prettier,” shouting at the end “I’m WAY prettier!” and tossing her blonde curls.

Referencing a Twitter feud between Lambert and Chris Brown, a fan held up a sign, which said “Take notes Chris Brown.”

Lambert grabbed the sign and explained to the crowd that she didn’t think it was appropriate that Brown was allowed to perform at the Grammys after hitting a woman, which had been stated in a Tweet of hers. She said that where she comes from, people don’t allow that kind of behavior, and “that’s why [her] daddy taught [her] early on in life how to use a shotgun.”

Lambert also complained about Mullins Center policy about not serving alcohol.

“Country music and ice cold beer just go together. You can’t have country music without it,” said Lambert.

She then proceeded to say that the next time she comes back, she expects there will be beer served or she’ll play somewhere else.

Before playing “Famous in a Small Town,” Lambert commented on how she drove through the scenic area of western Massachusetts. At the conclusion of the song, the projector flashed the Minuteman logo and an Amherst sign as her tribute to the town she was playing.

While Lambert sang a plethora of upbeat songs, she also sang powerful and emotional ballads like “Dead Flowers,” “More Like Her” and “Mama’s Broken Heart.”

Delivering an exciting and moving show that was empowering to women and entertaining to watch, Lambert proved she was “On Fire” with her songs, both old and new.

Ashley Berger can be reached at [email protected]