Parker McCollum
RodeoHouston
NRG Stadium
March 21, 2025
When I settled into my seat at NRG Stadium, just in time to see a rider take a turn on a bull named Barf Bag (true story), I was not overly knowledgeable about Parker McCollum.
In fact, I was yesterday-years-old when I found out that McCollum is not, in fact, bro country. This is why you don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s gold chain, Lucchese hat-wearing cover.
I did know the hits and that last night’s concert marked the third time in four years that the Conroe-born McCollum graced RodeoHouston’s massive, star-shaped stage. And it didn’t take long to figure out that McCollum is tailor-made for that stage, just like his song “Why Indiana” is tailor-made for my Spotify playlist.
But let’s take it from the top.
The show began shortly after 9 p.m. when McCollum – before the smoke cleared, before the arms of the star-shaped stage had time to unfold and fully settle into the dirt – launched into his oft-turned-to-opener “Hurricane,” about a seemingly unstoppable woman who, one day, according to the song, is “gonna get her name on a hurricane.” The song’s infectious energy flowed seamlessly into the toe-tapping post-breakup tune “Why Indiana,” before a subtle shift into the still-pretty-upbeat melancholy of “Handle on You.”
McCollum, backed by a seven-piece band, followed the trio of songs with a simple introduction: “My name is Parker McCollum. I’m from Conroe, Texas. It is damn good to be back here tonight, y’all.”
He proudly went on to say that his show sold the most tickets this rodeo season – a sellout, the final attendance of which was 71, 216 (as was announced at the end of the night). You can’t blame McCollum for repeatedly (and I mean repeatedly) bringing up the fact that the night’s performance marked his third on the RodeoHouston stage and that it was a sellout, two facts that lent the evening a victory lap feel for McCollum, who said, “This is all I wanted when I was 11 years old…”
The celebratory feel was amplified when his infant son, Major, made an appearance on stage – in starched jeans, giant belt buckle, and sufficient ear protection – with McCollum’s wife to a round of expected awws. McCollum playfully said, “Believe it or not, this is his first rodeo.”
After noting that San Marcos’ own Randy Rogers Band has never played RodeoHouston and encouraging the crowd to “make it happen” in 2026, he crooned “Like a Cowboy” before ratcheting things back up with “Young Man’s Blues.”
At this point, almost half-way through his set, a few of the things McCollum is good at have become apparent: 1) leaning into songs with an energy that makes them feel almost anthemic, 2) making trite ideas – like “growing up ain’t all it’s cracked up to be” in “Young Man’s Blues” – somehow work, and 3) fusing downer content with catchy, toe-tappy melodies.
That last one he does again, acoustic guitar in hand, on “To Be Loved by You,” his second No. 1 single, which he quickly followed with his first No. 1 single, “Pretty Heart,” both off his 2021 album Gold Chain Cowboy. Between the slide guitar and the stretched-out “heart” sung at the end of the chorus, “Pretty Heart” was by far the most sonically interesting song of the set.
“Can y’all believe they let me up here?” McCollum joked afterward, before reminiscing about seeing Pat Green sell out RodeoHouston back in 2004, when McCollum was 11. The talk gave way to the slower, introspective “Hell of a Year,” which included an out-of-nowhere rodeo-posal. McCollum called an old friend, Jamie, up to the stage. And Jamie, on stage in front of more than 71,000 people, proposed to his partner. And she said yes.
After finishing up “Hell of a Year,” McCollum turned to “What Kinda Man,” his most recent single from September. “Meet You in the Middle,” which opens with a surprisingly hard, rock-ish guitar before leading into something honky tonk-friendly, was unexpectedly followed by “I Can’t Breathe,” a song quickly overshadowed by McCollum declaring after, “We got a big announcement.”
It was the official announcement of McCollum’s fifth studio album, set to be released on June 27. He acknowledged those fans who have been clamoring for the return of “The Limestone Kid,” a reference to the title of his debut album saying, “This album is probably as close as I’ll ever get.”
After one last look down memory lane – specifically, going from shows at Mucky Duck, Firehouse Saloon, and the lobby of the Hotel Sorella, all the way to playing RodeoHouston for the third time – and with a touch of gratitude and even a bit of awe, McCollum closed his set with “Burn It Down” before taking a literal victory lap around the stadium on the back of a horse.
There was a moment during “I Can’t Breathe,” a point when McCollum sang “this is my calling” while pointing down at the rotating star stage. And it’s hard to argue with that. I’m convinced that he’s an artist meant to be on the RodeoHouston stage, and now it’s just a matter of waiting to see when McCollum and RodeoHouston go for four. Because that is a when, not an if.
Set List
Hurricane
Why Indiana
Handle on You
Like a Cowboy
Young Man’s Blues
To Be Loved By You
Pretty Heart
Hell of a Year
What Kinda Man
Meet You in the Middle
I Can’t Breathe
Burn It Down
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
