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:

Tim McGraw performs on March 10.

Tim McGraw at March Madness Music Festival

Photo by Danny Hurley

Tim McGraw performs on March 10.

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

texas country artist cody johnson interview music

Rodeo Lineup Revealed

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

Tim McGraw performs on March 10.

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