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Hank Williams Jr taught his family's musical history at RodeoHouston show

It’s becoming increasingly rare for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to snag a bona fide piece of living country music history like Hank Williams Jr. to hold court on its starry revolving stage.

If Willie Nelson’s 2020 appearance at RodeoHouston was tantamount to the Pope himself visiting NRG Stadium, Hank Jr. isn’t too far off. Beyond Willie and Bocephus, time is slowly taking other iconic options off the table. We’ve patiently waited for Dolly Parton to return since 1978, and Reba seems to be biding her time for a grand return. Past appearances by godheads Garth Brooks and George Strait were the hottest tickets in town. And while rodeo regulars like Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn come close, only one artist shares DNA with “Luke The Drifter”.

Now pushing 75, Hank Jr.’s proprietary family blend of outlaw country is more popular than ever, with fellow 2024 performers like Jelly Roll and Whiskey Myers updating the outlaw sound for a generation of fans who are just as apt to namecheck Travis Scott as they are Zach Bryan. Houston rapper That Mexican OT and Hank Jr. look like they raid each other’s closets, not to mention Williams’ personal brand has always been flashier than most of his peers. He wore enough disco-ready gold chains and diamonds in the ‘70s to make a Bee Gee blush.

Just after 9:15 pm Williams hit the stage in front of a crowd of 60,553 — covered in the word ICON on both his baseball cap and his guitar strap — and launched into “Are You Ready For the Country?” which he and fellow genre monster Waylon Jennings wrested control of from Neil Young sometime in the mid-’70s. The toe-tapping “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” elicited the first true sing-along of the night, sponsored by Tuesday morning’s hangover.

The family history lessons of “Move It On Over,” “The Conversation,” and “Call Me Hank” saw Williams in a reflective mood, which seems to be a prevailing theme. There’s something about him bragging about his lengthy musical history and various awards during “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” that grows frustrating as his legend status was cemented decades ago. The culture clashes of the past decade and change aside, no one’s stripping those accolades away, even if he seems to think so. We got cooking again with a thunderous “Kaw-Liga,” complete with Williams trading in his electric guitar for a flaming fiddle solo.

A solo storyteller acoustic medley starting with “Outlaw Women” and “Dinosaur” culminated with “A Country Boy Can Survive” which saw him in storyteller mode, whizzing through the past 70 years of life on Honky Tonk Earth.

“Rich White Honky Blues” came from 2022’s album of the same name. The project gave Williams’ signature sound a raunchy, rabid blues makeover courtesy of producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Whenever Williams has taken sips from his old man’s stash of influences, he seems the most at home, as if he’s taking the sound to places Senior never got to venture.

Barroom anthem “Family Tradition” sent Houston’s party class out into the muggy night, sealing the show with a sloppy kiss at last call. The Wiliams family traditions are in fact safe, even if Hank Jr. might feel otherwise.

HANK WILLIAMS JR. SETLIST

Are You Ready For The Country?
O.D.’d In Denver
Weatherman
Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound
Move It On Over
The Conversation
Call Me Hank
All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight / I Like Girls / On The Hunt / Gimme Three Steps
Waitin’ On The Bus
Kaw-Liga
Outlaw Women / Dinosaur / There’s A Tear In My Beer / All Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down) / I Walk The Line / A Country Boy Can Survive
Born To Boogie
Rich White Honky Blues
Family Tradition

Courtesy of The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

Hank Jr played before a crowd of over 60,000.

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Movie Review

Resident Evil reboot delivers blood, guts, and big laughs for horror fans

Photo by Dušan Martinček

Austin Abrams in Resident Evil.

In just two films (Barbarian and Weapons), writer/director Zach Cregger has established himself as one of the top horror filmmakers working today. His unique methodology involves taking audiences down familiar pathways before veering off into unexpected areas that feature copious amounts of gore and comically bizarre visuals.

His new film, Resident Evil, plays out in much the same way, resulting in something starkly different from the previous action-heavy films based on the video game series. Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a courier tasked with bringing special deliveries like organs to hospitals. After one delivery, he gets roped in to making another to the distant location of Raccoon City, a mission he accepts despite being ill-prepared for the journey.

Traveling down a snowy and icy road, Bryan gets waylaid after accidentally hitting a woman crossing the road. His attempt to save her jump starts a series of adventures in which he tries his best to survive in the face of an onslaught of numerous zombie-like people and creatures. All the while, Bryan is hellbent on completing his delivery at all costs.

Cregger, who co-wrote the film with Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4), is in complete command of the tone of the movie from minute one. Leaning into his comedy background, Cregger aims for humor first, with both horror and non-horror moments eliciting laughs. One of the biggest pleasures of the film is the way Bryan — who more often than not is by himself — mutters incredulously after experiencing yet another unbelievable incident. His reactions feel close to how a real person would be acting in such an extreme situation, giving the audience a dose of needed relief.

The episodic nature of the story also allows the film to play out like a video game without it ever feeling stilted. Every scene is like a new level of the game for Bryan as he faces increasingly difficult situations and monsters along the way. He gets some help from characters played by Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, and Zach Cherry, but he’s mostly on his own, figuring out how to use guns and improvising ways to avoid or attack opponents.

What Cregger seems to understand better than most filmmakers who have adapted video games into films is how to pay tribute to the series without becoming too much about fan service. There are references aplenty to the different games, but the movie works just as well even if you’ve never played a single second. There is no shortage of tense situations, blood-soaked scenes, and outrageous imagery — and Cregger knows how to stage all of it to maximum effect.

Abrams is dynamite in the film, using understated line readings to make Bryan both funny and relatable. After being on the verge of breaking out for years, Abrams just might do so with this and the upcoming Whalefall. The appearances by Reis, Hauser, Cherry, Johnno Wilson, and others don’t last long, but each does a great job in helping the film keep the story going.

Cregger is now three-for-three in his young career, making films that both pay tribute to and subvert horror conventions at the same time. Resident Evil is a blast for fans of the genre, featuring a great lead character, a slew of memorable moments, and indelible visuals that might haunt your dreams.

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Resident Evil opens in theaters on September 18.

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