If Zach Top looked and sounded like he was transported straight from the rodeo lineup in 1995, Monday night’s headliner Charley Crockett would have been perfect in 1972, holding his own during an afternoon matinee with Glen Campbell in the Astrodome.

Turning in a career-spanning set, an introduction for the newbies and a heart hug for the diehards in the crowd, Crockett’s cinematic sound translated effortlessly inside NRG Stadium. You know when Bob Tallman -- the voice of RodeoHouston -- says he loves that you’re in the right building.

One of RodeoHouston’s most esoteric picks in some time, the San Benito-born Crockett has released 14 albums since his debut in 2015. Crockett’s latest album is Lonesome Drifter, and it comes less than a year since 2024’s $10 Cowboy and its direct sequel Visions of Dallas. On Crockett’s last few records, he’s dipped into genteel, countrypolitan shades of sound: gorgeous strings, angelic backing vocals, Elvis Presley-style gospel flourishes. Sporting production by outlaw royalty Shooter Jennings, Lonesome Drifter is his first on major label Island Records and a definitive career statement.

Just before 9:30 pm, Crockett drove his damn self out to the starred stage in a classic Ford Thunderbird to meet his band, the Blue Drifters, kicking off with the world-weary “Game I Can’t Win,” the opening cut from Lonesome Drifter.

Crockett’s striking voice diverted into country music after he explored blues and soul textures early in his career. That was most evident on Monday night’s “I’m Just A Clown” and “Hard Luck & Circumstances,” two early standouts. Like kindred spirit and RodeoHouston alum Leon Bridges, Crockett bridges the gap between classic soul and country. He followed up James Hand’s rockabilly rave-up “Don’t Tell Me That” by riding one of the points of the starred stage into the air for “Life Of A Country Singer,” one of the most biting songs from the new album.

Crockett may have become the first man on Earth to cover Link Wray’s feral “Juke Box Mama” in a football stadium on Monday night. The latter has been in his live repertoire for the past year. The cowboy swinger “Trinity River” has been a constant in Crockett’s discography, debuting back in 2015 on A Stolen Jewel and reappearing on 2022’s The Man from Waco album. We’d like to see him revisit it in 2029 if he can.

Seeing Crockett on such a large stage was surreal for an avowed fan like myself. I’ve seen him in venues smaller than an NRG Stadium men’s room, the late Montrose honkytonk Goodnight Charlie’s, and at music festivals in Georgetown, Texas. Just a year ago, Crockett headlined the backstage patio at the Armadillo Palace and returned to play the 713 Music Hall in the early fall.

There have been many George Strait covers in 2025 at RodeoHouston, including efforts by Brad Paisley and Zach Top. King George’s influence looms large here, where he’s played in front of millions of people. Earnest and swaggery at the same time, Crockett ended his debut rodeo appearance with “Amarillo By Morning.”

This cowboy (and his bride) rode away not on a horse but in a Thunderbird.

Setlist
Game I Can’t Win
One Trick Pony
Good At Losing
I’m Just A Clown
Sidewinder
Hard Luck & Circumstances
Spade
That’s How I Got To Memphis
The Valley
Jamestown Ferry
Don’t Tell Me That
Hold It
Life Of A Country Singer
Juke Box Mama (Link Wray Cover)
$10 Cowboy
Welcome To Hard Times
Trinity River
Lonesome Drifter
Run Horse Run
Five More Miles

Amarillo By Morning (George Strait cover)