While the country music star is going to perform hits like “Then” and “Wrapped Around,” his connection with the crowd is what truly makes his performance special.
During his performance of “I’m Still a Guy” he grabbed an audience member’s phone and asked the audience to follow her on social media before answering a call and letting her boyfriend proclaim his love for her to the crowd. And as if having NRG stadium hear “I love you McKinzie!” wasn’t enough of a connection with the crowd Paisley then walked back off the stage and across the dirt to hand his guitar to a young member of the audience.
“All right little guy,” he yelled as the crowd cheered. “Learn how to play that and we’ll see you up here in 10 or 15 years. Good luck to you and learn how to write some songs about a girl that breaks your heart.”
The heavy rains and hail Friday night may have temporarily stopped the carnival, but it didn’t stop 71,788 fans from coming out to see him. Their show, and the fans that their show brought down to NRG Park, continues to show the influence the rodeo has on entertainment in Houston and abroad. Guests like 50 Cent, Jelly Roll, Major Lazor, Lainey Wilson, Los Tigres del Norte, and the Zac Brown Band have brought Houstonians down to where 610 and Kirby meet in droves, fighting weather along with traffic to see some of their favorite artists. And one of those huge favorites is Paisley.
Paisley is a rodeo standard, as expected at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as funnel cakes dusted with powdered sugar, smoked turkey legs, and tie-down roping. This year marks Paisley’s 15th appearance at the rodeo since his first back in 2001. The rodeo prides itself on bringing performers that will bring out and entertain the crowd, so you don’t get invited back that many times unless you have truly have what it takes.
With his last two decades of appearances, Paisley has proven he has everything it takes to keep the eyes of the crowd fixed on that rotating rodeo stage. Since his debut album, Who Needs Pictures, back in 1999 Paisley has carved out a significant place for himself in country music, releasing 12 studio albums and 46 singles. Those singles have garnered him 21 No. 1 hits, and a catalog made to be one of the closing artists for 20 nights of rodeo performances.
With Saturday being the next to last of the rodeo, Paisley’s audience-connecting performance is fitting. While his crowd work isn’t new (he does it at most of his shows) it is something that makes the vast space that is NRG stadium feel a lot smaller. Houstonians that are fans of country music missed out on a spectacular performance on Saturday, but if the crowd response was any indication, Paisley will be right back on that rodeo stage next year.
DeVaughn Douglas
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