Parker McCollum was born in Conroe, Texas, which sits about 50 miles north of NRG Stadium. To many that might not seem very far. But the journey from being a kid in Conroe to headlining the big stage on Opening Night at RodeoHouston has certainly been long and hard-fought.

McCollum actually made his RodeoHouston debut last year to a sold-out homecoming crowd. Nothing will be able to surpass how special last year turned out, although the fans at NRG Stadium on Tuesday night sure did express their deep love and admiration for Parker with loud cheers, applause, and a chorus of sing-alongs.

The night began with a trio of fan favorites: "To Be Loved By You," "Wait Outside" and "Meet You In The Middle." Three days ago, McCollum was forced to postpone a show in Bossier City, Louisiana due to illness and voice strain. Luckily for everyone inside NRG Stadium, his voice and energy was back at full blast last night.

He stood tall in the middle of the large RodeoHouston stage dressed in a tight black tee, freshly creased jeans, and a Lucchese trucker cap. His large, commemorative belt buckle was specifically made to commemorate this show, and his boots were also adorned with the RodeoHouston logo.

Parker took some time to express his appreciation to his family and his fans for standing by him throughout his journey. "I'm just a guy who started playing shows at The Firehouse Saloon, and now I'm selling out shows at the Rodeo! It's like I'm living in a movie! Thank you Houston!"
Although most of the evening consisted of feel good, high energy tunes, McCollum slowed it down several times. "It wouldn't be a Parker show without a few slow, sad country love songs about everything going terribly wrong!" said McCollum with a smile. "I Can't Breathe," "Young Man's Blues" and "Hell Of A Year" certainly filled out the setlist perfectly.

With an extremely charismatic persona and his dashing good looks, Parker McCollum could have been any number of things: a Super Bowl winning quarterback, an A-list Hollywood actor, or maybe even governor of Texas. Lucky for fans of Texas country, he stuck with being a cowboy with a guitar and a voice of gold.

Some of the highlights of the show were his newest singles named "Handle On You," "I Ain't Going Nowhere" and "Burn It Down" from his upcoming album entitled Never Enough which is due out on May 12.

McCollum ended the show with "Pretty Heart" and "Hurricane" before mounting on his beautiful chestnut horse for a victory lap around NRG Stadium. The crowd of 68,303 showered him in applause, and cheered loudest when he tipped his cap and smiled with appreciation.

It's been a hell of a year, and the year has just started.