Houston ‘greatest city in the world’ to McCollum
Parker McCollum has released a handful of nationally charting singles and one major-label album. To many, he’s a young man on the rise.
But at RodeoHouston, he’s a bona fide superstar.
McCollum has been making music since 2013, building his profile throughout, and eventually beyond, Texas. The Conroe native made his rodeo debut in 2022.
McCollum opened this year’s season Tuesday night at NRG Stadium for a crowd of 68,303.
He started off the week working the drive-thru at a Raising Cane’s in Conroe and performing for an exclusive crowd at the Oak Room at the Post Oak Hotel.
Like he did last year, McCollum said playing RodeoHouston was a lifelong dream and admitted he was nervous. There was no need. The crowd was enthusiastic throughout and sang along with many of the songs.
McCollum acknowledged family in the crowd and his “starting out at the Firehouse Saloon,” the revered Houston honky-tonk that closed in
2020.
“Man, I feel good for a Tuesday night,” he said. “Greatest country in the world, greatest state in the world, greatest city
in the world.”
Vocally, McCollum took a few songs to settle in. But he’s good at knowing his limits. He never oversings or overemotes and knows just when to inflect his delivery with more emotion.
As a songwriter, McCollum wisely steers clear of genre clichés or trends. He said “Young Man’s Blues” was the song he was “most excited to play” in Houston. It’s a wistful rumination on childhood and leaving home that references County Road 2854 in Conroe.
He included a trio of new songs — “Burn it Down,” “I Ain’t Going Nowhere,” “Handle on You” — from new album “Never Enough,” out May 12. They don’t stray far from McCollum’s established sound, but each manages a distinct flavor.
Ballads “I Can’t Breathe” and “Hell of a Year” were standouts, as was “Like a Cowboy,” a song co-written by Chris Stapleton. All three deftly straddle traditional and modern country, a balance that could go a long way toward soon making McCollum a superstar in everyone’s eyes.