RodeoHouston 2025

RodeoHouston taps Post Malone, Bun B, Reba McEntire, and more for 2025 concerts

RodeoHouston is back in the saddle again and is bringing major star power to the star-shaped stage for its 2025 lineup.

After drawing over 1.3 million people to concerts last year, officials revealed this year’s performers at a media event at NRG Center, next door to NRG Stadium. While the Beyoncé rumors didn't pan out, the acts playing from March 4-23 include a variety of genres, heavily focused on country, but also including pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, regional Mexican, and Christian music.

Tickets will go on sale at rodeohouston.com on Thursday, January 16, in two waves at 10 am and 2 pm.

Arguably the biggest standout is Post Malone, who makes his RodeoHouston debut on Tuesday, March 18 in what should be a massive draw. The hugely successful rap star is back in Houston after selling out two nights at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion last fall. His turn towards country music on his No. 1 album, F-1 Trillion, featuring the No. 1 single “I Had Some Help” with country bad boy Morgan Wallen, and songs with Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, was no doubt on the minds of RodeoHouston organizers.

One of the longest-running rodeo favorites, Reba McEntire will open the 2025 season on Tuesday, March 4. She holds one of the organization’s highest honors as the first woman inducted to RodeoHouston’s Star Trail of Fame in 2007. This will be her 20th performance on the rotating stage and her first time back in 11 years.

Other eyebrow-raising headliners include Bun B's Birthday Bonanza on Black Heritage Night (Friday, March 7). This is the fourth consecutive year that the chopped and screwed rap legend will bring his “International Players Anthem” to RodeoHouston, the 2024 edition being one of the most buzzed about shows of the year, with appearances by Drake, Nelly, Eve, Rick Ross, and others. As for who will turn up this year, let the speculation begin.

Also notable is fast-rising Americana honkytonk country artist, the San Benito, TX-raised Charley Crockett, making his debut on Monday, March 17. Anyone who has caught him on small club stages in Houston as he paid his dues will find this a reason to celebrate this huge step-up in audience size.

This year’s lineup is noticeably embracing a younger demographic, especially in the country ranks. Up-and-comers, Riley Green (March 5), Zach Top (March 11), and Kelly Clarkson’s favorite heartthrob Warren Zeiders (March 15) all make their debuts and are a glimpse at the future. The 24-year-old Bailey Zimmerman (March 8) achieved three consecutive No. 1 singles, including the album’s namesake, “Religiously,” deemed the biggest streaming country debut of all time upon its release.

Outside of the country genre, streaming stars and pop-rock trio AJR fill the pop-rock role that Jonas Brothers shattered records with last year, appearing on Thursday, March 6. Mexican singer-songwriter Carin León plays on Sunday, March 9, and two-time Grammy Award-winning contemporary Christian artist Lauren Daigle returns for her second stint on Wednesday, March 12.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Journey, follow-up their epic 2022 RodeoHouston performance on Friday, March 14, while Mexican-American band Grupo Frontera takes the mantle for the seat-filling Go Tejano Day on Sunday, March 16.

RodeoHouston loves their established country stars and plenty will return in 2025. The reliably great Brad Paisley plays First Responders Appreciation Day on March 10 for his 17th appearance; Jon Pardi makes his third appearance in a row on March 13; country band Old Dominion headlines for the second time on March 19; country rebel Cody Jinks is back after his 2023 debut on March 20; Conroe’s Parker McCollum makes it three times on March 21.

Country Hall of Famers, Brooks & Dunn, will tally their mind-blowing 22nd appearance on March 22. After nearly three weeks of performances, American Idol judge Luke Bryan will hip-swivel his way through his 12th show to close out the RodeoHouston calendar.

Always aware of the many different audiences that appreciate a day on the midway, organizers have another eclectic mix of youthful names and legacy acts, ensuring that many Houstonians will have a reason to head to NRG Stadium for at least one night of music this March. Giddy up!

Photo by Chinh Phan FotoWerk Group

Reba McEntire opens the 2025 RodeoHouston with her 20th appearance on Tuesday, March 4.

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Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

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