Let's Go Rodeo!

Alabama opens RodeoHouston with hit songs from glory days

The opening notes of the first song rang through the dark stadium: "If You'reGonna Play in Texas (You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)."
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Wearing a personalized Texans jersey and enlivening the crowd with claps andyells, Randy Owen commanded the stage.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Alabama salutes the RodeoHouston audience.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

Mutton Bustin' is undoubtedly a tough act to follow on opening night of the 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but legendary Southern rock band Alabama did its best. As 10-year veterans of RodeoHouston, the group knows how to put on a show.

Overhead lights at Reliant Stadium flickered out one by one as the livestock left the field, and after a flurry of fireworks and lasers, the opening notes of the first song rang through the dark stadium: "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)."

For whatever reason, "Song of the South" began with a series of hip gyrations (courtesy of Owen) and ended with a fond reminiscence of his families' truck loyalties.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, we came here tonight for one reason and one reason only. We came here to have a party with y'all tonight," said Randy Owen, the band's guitarist and lead vocalist. At 62, Owen is still graced with a full head of hair, a statement mustache and a spry body adept at kicking and jumping along to the music.

Wearing a personalized Texans jersey and enlivening the crowd with claps and yells, Owen certainly commanded the stage, but bassist Teddy Gentry's fancy fretwork and Jeff Cook's dexterity on both his guitar and electric fiddle didn't go unnoticed.

Bolstered by a five-piece backing band, Alabama dipped into an arsenal of hit songs from the glory days of the '80s throughout its hour-long performance. "Tennessee River" (the single that first brought the band to the top of the country music charts) made the set list, followed by "Dixieland Delight," a tale of love in the backwoods.

For whatever reason, "Song of the South" began with a series of hip gyrations (courtesy of Owen) and ended with a fond reminiscence of his families' truck loyalties. Soon after, the tempo slowed with the love ballad "Feels So Right," then picked up again with "She and I" and "Closer You Get" before a heavy dedication to the veterans and the military men and women still serving overseas with "Angels Among Us."

"Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "My Home's in Alabama" and "Lady Down On Love" rounded out the show, and by the time the closing song — the epic "Mountain Music" — came on, the stadium's crowd had largely thinned.

Still, Owen, Gentry and Cook left the stadium to thunderous applause. Exiting in the bed of a Ford pickup, bathed in a beam of light, Alabama left a longing for simpler times and an appreciation of Southern values.

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Concert News

Houston rap star Don Toliver rolls into town on high octane new tour

Courtesy of Don Toliver

Don Toliver will perform at the Toyota Center on Thursday, May 14.

Houston rap legend Don Toliver will perform a hometown show at the Toyota Center on Thursday, May 14.

The new concert is part of Toliver’s Octane Tour, a 30-city run through North America that begins in Orlando on May 8 and concludes in Denver on July 5. In addition to Houston, the rapper will perform in Dallas on June 13 and San Antonio on June 14.

He’ll be joined on all three Texas dates by by SahBabii, SoFaygo, and Chase B.

Toliver is touring in support of Octane, his fifth studio album that was released last month and debuted at No. 1 on both Spotify and Apple Music. Recorded during Toliver’s European tour and at sessions in California, Octane is inspired by Toliver’s love of cars and rally racing culture, according to press materials. A native Houstonian, Toliver is also known for tracks such as certified platinum singles “No Pole” and “Private Landing” featuring Justin Bieber, along with multi-platinum hits including “No Idea,” “After Party,” “Lemonade,” and “Bandit.”

Along with the tour announcement, Toliver has unveiled the video for Rendezvous, a track he recorded with Yeat.

Tickets will be available starting with the Citi presale beginning on Wednesday, February 4. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning Friday, February 6 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

Various VIP packages are also available, including early entry and access to a pre-show VIP lounge. Find those details at vipnation.com.

Octane 2026 Tour Dates

Fri May 8 – Orlando, FL @ Rolling Loud*^#
Tue May 12 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center*^+
Thu May 14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center*^+
Sun May 17 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena*^+
Tue May 19 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena*^+
Thu May 21 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center*^+
Sat May 23 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena*^+
Sun May 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena*^+
Tue May 26 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena*^+
Wed May 27 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center*^+
Fri May 29 – Hartford, CT @ PeoplesBank Arena*^+
Sat May 30 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden*^+
Mon Jun 01 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden*^+
Tue Jun 02 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena*^+
Thu Jun 04 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena*^+
Fri Jun 05 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena*^+
Sun Jun 07 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre*^+
Tue Jun 09 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena*^+
Thu Jun 11 – Chicago, IL @ United Center*^+
Sat Jun 13 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center*^+
Sun Jun 14 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center*^+
Wed Jun 17 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center*^+
Fri Jun 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Summerfest*^+#
Sat Jun 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center*^+
Wed Jun 24 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena*^+
Thu Jun 25 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena*^+
Sat Jun 27 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena*^+
Mon Jun 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena*^+
Tue Jun 30 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego*^+
Wed Jul 01 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center*^+
Fri Jul 03 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena*^+
Sun Jul 05 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena*^+

*with SahBabii
^with SoFaygo
+with CHASE B
# Festival Headline