Crooner Jake Owen rocked Reliant Stadium Wednesday night and every upcoming Houston Rodeo act should take notes. The key to battling Reliant's subpar acoustics was no secret to Owen — just have fun, and kick up dirt and take a swig of a fan's beer along the way.
Foregoing the traditional Ford F-150 product placement synonymous with the Rodeo's concert start, Owen simply walked out onto the dirt in his Canadian Tuxedo and didn't stop performing the entire hour.
Taking a sip of a girl's Michelob Ultra mid song, posing for and snapping umpteen selfies, handing his guitar over to a fan, breaking into the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rap, Owen gave fans exactly what they wanted. A damn good time.
Halfway through his 16-song set, Owen commented, "This is a big ass place," marveling at everyone in attendance. Having even more fun with the three letter word, Owen brought fans attention to the closed captioning board noting it was funny to see his words being typed as he spoke, but once again said, "I said it was a big ass place — write that!" Fans eyes were glued to the board, which immediately read:
"I said this is a big place — sorry, I can't."
Owen gave fans exactly what they wanted. A damn good time.
Everyone got a chuckle, including Owen himself, who didn't skip a beat the entire night.
The long-haired Diesel wearing cowboy talked about his upcoming headlining tour with local fellas Eli Young Band, but took a minute to thanks fans for their thoughts and prayers along the way — just last year on the same Rodeo stage, Owen put on a great performance for the fans while his father was battling cancer at the Mayo Clinic. Perhaps all his excitement and smiles stemmed from the fact he was able to announce that his father was now cancer free as he dedicated a song to his fans going through the same heartaches and sending his prayers to them.
It was a touching moment that only a true performer could pull off. The stage even halted its regular rotation to let the moment marinate.
Owen may have sang about a "Ghost Town," but Reliant was anything but thanks to the huge crowd of 59,299 in attendance Wednesday night.
Just before singing his hit song "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," Owen commented on his choice of cowboy boots for the dirt-filled arena. "I only wore boots because I didn't want to step in cow shit," he said with a smile before mesmerizing the crowd yet again with his voice and energy.
Set List:
Days of Gold
Anywhere with You
Beachin
Ghost Town
1972
YeeHaw
Alone with You
Pass A Beer
Single Medley: Tell Me, Startin' with Me, Something About a Woman, Don't Think I Can't Love You
Acoustic Set
The One That Got Away
Barefoot Blue Jean Night
8 Second Ride
Jake Owen made sure everyone had a damn good time at the Houston Rodeo.
