Rodeo Lineup Revealed

The superstar acts among the Houston Rodeo's 2015 concert lineup are . . .

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo picked the midnight hour to reveal its full 2015 concert lineup — and what a lineup it is.

The list, which was sent out to media at 12:05 this morning, includes an eclectic lineup, ranging from country stars Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson to pop star Ariana Grande, rock band Fall Out Boy and the return of bilingual rapper Pitbull.

Sixteen of the 21 entertainers during set to perform is this year's edition March 3 – 22 are returnees.

The list includes Eric Church (opening night March 3 in his first RodeoHouston appearance), John Legend (March 6 on Black Heritage Day), La Arrolladora Banda El Limón and La Maquinaria Norteña on Go Tejano Day (March 15), Florida Georgia Line (March 18), and Luke Bryan (on closing night March 22 as part of the RodeoHouston Super Shootout). In all, there will be 15 shows featuring country stars, one R&B, three shows featuring pop/rock stars and 1 show featuring noteno and banda groups.

Tickets will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m., through AXS Ticketing via rodeohouston.com. The Virtual Waiting Room opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but fans can register any time at axs.com/rodeohouston_signup. The new AXS ticketing system is designed to handle the Rodeo's tremendous initial ticket sales demand, identify known scalpers and even detect "robot" activity of those brokers using computers to constantly hit the site.

AXS users will be directed to a virtual waiting room that allows customers to "arrive" an hour before ticket sales begin. Customers are shuffled and chosen at random to enter the next step, the virtual store, when tickets can be purchased in a three-step process and then even forwarded through the mobile app to a friend. As buyers complete their transactions, more customers in the waiting room can enter the store.

E-ticket buyers receive their tickets for free, while those using AXS will be charged $3.50 per ticket service fee, compared to the $4.25 that Ticketmaster charges. They can be purchased by phone, too (888-596-4201).

HLSR tickets may also be purchased without a service fee at BBVA Compass Stadium on Jan. 17 and at the SMG box office at NRG Stadium starting on Jan. 19.

The full Rodeo 2015 lineup:

Tuesday, March 3 ............................................................................................................................................................. Eric Church
Wednesday, March 4* – Armed Forces Appreciation Day sponsored by BHP Billiton ........................................ Hunter Hayes
Thursday, March 5 ................................................................................................................................................. Miranda Lambert
Friday, March 6 – Black Heritage Day, sponsored by Kroger ..................................................................................... John Legend
Saturday, March 7 .......................................................................................................................................................... Alan Jackson
Sunday, March 8 ............................................................................................................................................................. Fall Out Boy
Monday, March 9 ........................................................................................................................................................... Justin Moore
Tuesday, March 10 ........................................................................................................................................................ Tim McGraw
Wednesday, March 11* ............................................................................................................................................ Brantley Gilbert
Thursday, March 12 ................................................................................................................................................. Zac Brown Band
Friday, March 13 ....................................................................................................................................................................... Pitbull
Saturday, March 14 ................................................................................................................................................. Billy Currington
Sunday, March 15 – Go Tejano Day, sponsored by Diva Diamonds ......................................... La Arrolladora Banda El Limón/
La Maquinaria Norteña
Monday, March 16 ..................................................................................................................................................... Dierks Bentley
Tuesday, March 17 ......................................................................................................................................................Ariana Grande
Wednesday, March 18* .................................................................................................................................... Florida Georgia Line
Thursday, March 19 ..................................................................................................................................................... Blake Shelton
Friday, March 20 ....................................................................................................................................................... The Band Perry
Saturday, March 21 – RODEOHOUSTON BP Super Series Championship ................................................................ Brad Paisley
Sunday, March 22 – RODEOHOUSTON Super Shootout®, presented by Crown Royal ......... Luke Bryan, presented by Miller Lite

*Value Wednesdays include $10 upper level Rodeo tickets, plus values throughout NRG Park.

See the video announcing the lineup:

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will be at the rodeo but not together. Lambert performs on March 5 and Shelton performs on March 19.

Blake Shelton in concert at RodeoHouston March 2014 and Miranda Lambert

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will be at the rodeo but not together. Lambert performs on March 5 and Shelton performs on March 19.

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In the spotlight

Houston reels in new rank among 10 best cities for filmmakers in 2026

Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

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Houston has just snapped up new recognition as the No. 10 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America, according to MovieMaker Magazine's annual report, "The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026."

The Bayou City has made improvements after ranking 12th in the magazine's 2025 list.

The annual list ranks the best cities in the U.S. and Canada for individuals to live while working in the film industry, based on production spending, tax incentives, cost of living, the prevalence of "local film scenes," and additional factors. The list is divided into two categories: 25 big cities and 10 smaller cities or towns.

The spotlighted cities are the places where the publication believes filmmakers "have the best chance of both succeeding in the famously difficult entertainment industry, and making [their] own art."

For up-and-coming filmmakers that want to live in Texas, MovieMaker says doing it in Houston is "more sustainable than ever" thanks to incentives like the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which increased its production grant rebate from 22.5 percent to up to 31 percent for qualified in-state spending. The report also said Houston has an "arms-wide-open" approach for filmmakers.

"As the biggest city in Texas, and fourth biggest city in America, Houston has nearly every type of location, from cityscapes to piney woods to rolling hills to nearby farmland," the report said. "It’s close to Galveston Island and the Gulf of Mexico, and car commercials love the absence of billboard advertising."

MovieMaker also highlighted Houston's diversity, its low cost of living compared to the national average, and its local festivals like the Houston Cinema Arts Festival and Houston Latino Film Festival.

"The city has enough film crew for two to three sizable features, and recent shoots have included the thrillers Eleven Days, with Taylor Kitsch, and A Love, from director Courtney Glaude, Tyler Perry Studios’ executive creator of Scripted and Unscripted," the report said. "Houston is also notable for a strong contingent of films with budgets under $1 million."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin ranked as the No. 5 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America. Dallas ranked seventh, while neighboring Fort Worth ranked 12th. San Antonio appeared as No. 14, and El Paso landed 25th on the list.

filmmaking moviemaker magazine rankings city life entertainment houston