If it’s your first rodeo, don’t expect a regular concert
you’ve never been to a rodeo concert, are you even from Houston?
The three-week run of shows kicks off Feb. 28 and includes NKOTB, Walker Hayes and Brooks & Dunn. The lineup also includes the return of Bun B, whose Southern Takeover includes Juvenile and Mannie Fresh.
If you’re a newbie to rodeo concerts, there are a few things you should know.
Start time
As with most concerts, the ticketed start time is merely a guide. Weekday concerts start around 9 p.m. Weekend concerts start around 6 p.m. You can arrive earlier, of course, if you want to see rodeo events, enjoy the carnival or peruse the vendors. Weekday rodeos start at 6:45 p.m. Weekend rodeos start at 3:45 p.m.
Show length
You may be there to see Luke Bryan. But lots of people are there for the rodeo. The concert is just the finale of a day’s worth of events. Most performances last about an hour. Some stretch to 75 minutes. Just don’t expect to hear many rarities. There’s only time for the hits.
Up close and personal?
So you think you’ve got a front-row seat? That’s cute. Even if you’re in the first row, you’re still hundreds of feet from the performer, who is on a stage in the center of the stadium. If you really want to get close, the Hess Chute Seats ($375) are actually on the dirt floor. It’s always fun to watch people run out and wrangle as close a spot as possible. Some of the performers jump offstage and interact with those fans. Brad Paisley might check your cellphone photos. Keith Urban might even gift you a guitar. They will also sometimes run across the dirt floor to the guardrails for handshakes and high-fives.
The sound
Every year, a majority of complaints are about the sound inside NRG Stadium. Distorted. Too much echo. Unintelligible. There are also those who hear everything just fine. Patrick Baltzell, the sound engineer for several past Super Bowls, said his worst experience was during the 2004 halftime show featuring Janet JackIf son, Justin Timberlake and a wardrobe malfunction in Houston. He called the stadium “unworkable.”
“It’s got a roof and the seats stop and the sidewalls go up for another 20 to 30 feet, and then there’s the metal roof and there’s no treatment (for audio) anywhere. So it’s notorious that tours don’t want to stop there,” Baltzell told The Verge in 2018.
RODEOHOUSTON
Who: Parker McCollum (Feb. 28); Brooks & Dunn (March 1); Lauren Daigle (March 2); Bun B’s Southern Takeover (March 3); Walker Hayes (March 4); Zac Brown Band (March 5); Jason Aldean (March 6); New Kids on the Block (March 7); Jon Pardi (March 8); Ashley McBryde (March 9); The Chainsmokers (March 10); Turnpike Troubadours (March 11); La Fiera de Ojinaga (March 12); Cody Jinks (March 13); Machine Gun Kelly (March 14); Kenny Chesney (March 15); Chris Stapleton (March 16); Cody Johnson (March 17); Brad Paisley (March 18); Luke Bryan (March 19). Where: NRG Stadium, One NRG Park
When: Feb. 28-March 19 Details: rodeohouston.com
The merch
Get your merch early. Though there are usually several merch stands inside the stadium, the lines can get long. Some artists start selling items early in the day, usually inside NRG Center. There’s also a merch stand on the carnival side, just inside the gates and outside the stadium. Get there early, and you should have no problem.
Take friends
Rodeo concerts are always more fun in a group. One of my favorite 2022 memories is singing “Livin’ la Vida Loca” with my friend Lindsey at the top of our lungs.