Monday night wasn’t Riley Green’s first RodeoHouston. He actually debuted last year on Armed Forces Day, winning over the crowd with his smooth baritone and his Tom Selleck mustache. With a straightforward style and an act devoid of flashy antics, he harkens back to the 1990s, before the bro country and Hip Hop crossover of modern Nashville acts. If you look up the definition of “The Good Ole Days” in the dictionary, you would see a photo of Riley sitting on a stool holding his guitar and singing a song about his grandpa.
As the house lights went dark and the fireworks flashed throughout NRG Stadium, the star stage welcomed Green and his band at the center of the arena. The intro mimicked the tunings between country radio stations, playing classic country favorites such as “Dinosaur” by Hank Williams Jr.
Once the spotlight focused on Riley, he led his crew with “Different ‘Round Here,” which was successful in setting the honest and down-to-earth tone of the night. “Change My Mind” and “Hell Of A Way” rounded out the trio of opening tracks of the evening. “You don’t have to be an Alabama fan to like this song, just as long as you aren’t a fan of Tennessee!” said Green after that last tune.
With ruggedly handsome good looks, Green looks like a cast member of the hit show Yellowstone. He is making his acting debut this month on a spin-off entitled Marshals on CBS. Dressed in a short sleeved black button up, his mighty forearms bulged as he played his acoustic guitar and smiled to his fans.
He acknowledged the talents of his friend Ella Langley, and then lea the audience in a singalong of their 2024 smash hit “You Look Like You Love Me”. As the camera ventured throughout the stands, families and friends sang in unison with the track and basked in vibes of the catchy tune. Green followed with a fun cover of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy”.
The night ended strong with his hits “Don’t Mind If I Do,” “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”,and a personal and crowd favorite “Worst Way”.
“Y’all might know this one” he told the crowd as the notes from Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight” rang out from the stage. The song is a country fan favorite due to the call-and-response of the chorus, and shouts of “On Beer!” and “All Night!” provided a lovely end to the opening show of this year’s RodeoHouston season.
Riley Green loves classic country, and he certainly showed out as he played RodeoHouston for the second year in a row. Credit: Cody Barclay
