rodeohouston 2024

RodeoHouston reveals 2024 lineup starring Jonas Brothers, Blake Shelton, and a Bun B takeover

The Jonas Brothers return after a more than 10-year break.

Photo courtesy of Jonas Brothers

Houston, it’s finally here. We now know the entertainment lineup for this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo concert series, running February 27 – March 17 at NRG Stadium.

RodeoHouston 2024’s roster is history-making, as multiple rap acts take the stage for the first time ever in one season. Houston rap iconBun Bwill return for a final installment of his two groundbreaking H-Town and Southern Takeover shows. But this year, rapper, Newstonian, and Rodeo Uncorked! Boss bidder 50 Cent will headline Black Heritage Day.

Other notable names include country and pop culture star Blake Shelton, who leads off on Opening Day, and the Jonas Brothers, who last played the rodeo more than 10 years ago. Country fans can look forward to the familiar faces Brad Paisley, Zac Brown, and Luke Bryan, who’ll mark his 10th rodeo show this year.

Of the 20 performers, half are rodeo newcomers, including 50 Cent and Nickelback. By the numbers, the 20 acts boast 56 Academy of Country Music awards, 47 Country Music Association awards, 17 American Music Awards, and 15 GRAMMY Awards.

As mentioned, singer and former The Voice host Blake Shelton serves as the headliner for Opening Day on Tuesday, February 27. Carly Pearce follows the next day for Armed Forces Appreciation Day on Wednesday, February 28. Country act For King + Country take the stage the next day on Thursday, February 29.

Then comes Black Heritage Day on Friday, March 1, with 50 Cent up in da club and, let’s hope, poppin’ some bottles. Already a player on the rodeo scene, 50 Cent made headlines last year when his own Champagne, Le Chemin du Roi Brut, was named Grand Champion Best of Show at the Rodeo Uncorked! competition. Bidders threw $325,000 at his Champagne, a rodeo record.

HARDY, who’s making waves as a versatile country and rock songwriter and performer, follows 50 on Saturday, March 2. Ivan Cornejo performs on Sunday, March 3, followed by country music prince Hank Williams, Jr., who’ll headline First Responders Day on Monday, March 4.

Folk-country artist Oliver Anthony and his beautifully bushy beard take the stage on Tuesday, March 5; rapper Jelly Roll drops rhymes on Wednesday, March 6. Luke Bryan, making his 10th rodeo appearance, headlines Volunteer Appreciation Day on Thursday, March 7. EDM fans can catch the Jamaican-vibed trio Major Lazer the next day on Friday, March 8.

Saturday, March 9 sees Lainey Wilson on stage, with favorite Los Tigres del Norte roaring on Go Tejano Day, Sunday, March 10. Southern rockers (and the pride of Palestine, Texas) Whiskey Myers hit the stage on Monday, March 11.

In his hotly anticipated, potentially final headlining rodeo show, hip-hop monarch and burger king Bun B will perform on Tuesday, March 12, in what we can only hope will follow the star-studded “Takeover” theme and round out a historic trilogy for Houston’s Trill OG.

“I wanted people to see that rap and the rodeo could coexist in the room with no one feeling awkward," Bun B tells CultureMap. “I wanted rap to be in the rodeo on a night that didn't say, 'okay cowboys, stay home.' The rodeo has fought very hard to be inclusive. So we fought very hard to be inclusive as well. We did not want to block people out. That was never the case. What we wanted to show actually was that rap music is probably the most inclusive music culture. And I think we've done a pretty good job of that so far and I think this year will prove it even more, to a point where we'll look back one day and we won't even remember precisely when there wasn't rap at the rodeo. That's my dream.”

“We've proven that rap music can be a part of the rodeo no matter what night you put it on,” he continues, “no matter who you present it to rap has room at the rodeo. The rodeo has made room for us and we're doing right by them.”

In quite the pivot, the following day sees rockers Nickelback make their rodeo debut on Wednesday, March 13. Fans of the Zac Brown Band can catch them the next day on Thursday, March 14.

Expect a legion of female fans to pack NRG on Thursday, March 15 as the Jonas Brothers charm the crowd; the always-charming, rodeo fave Brad Paisley follows on Friday, March 16.

Eric Church, country star singer-songwriter, and entrepreneur, will close out the rodeo on Saturday, March 17.

Get tickets for this year’s shows online on Thursday, January 18 in two waves: 10 am and 2 pm. Wave 1 covers February 27 – March 7 performances; Wave 2 tickets are for March 8 – 17 shows. Online waiting rooms will open at 9:30 am for Wave 1 and 1:30 pm for Wave 2. Waiting room customers will be randomly selected to enter the store and purchase tickets for the 10 am and 2 pm waves.

a beautiful mind

Houston Health Museum's new exhibit shines a light on dyslexia

Sarah Sudhoff created "The Reading Brain" in honor of her son.

Photo by Rose Tylinski

"The Reading Brain" replicates neuron activity in a dyslexic brian while reading

No, "The Reading Brain" isn't the title of a B-horror film from the 1960s. It's a brand new installation at the Houston Health Museum that explores dyslexia.

The piece was created by Houston-based artist Sarah Sudhoff, in partnership with Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University. Hanging from the ceiling of the Health Museum, it uses light-up colored circles to represent the frontal lobe activity of a dyslexic person while reading. MRI scans of dyslexic brains formed the foundation of the light activity. Sudhoff's own son has dyslexia, and she had to adapt her homeschooling of him to account for his neurodivergence. As much as 20 percent of the American population is dyslexic.

"The Reading Brain" grew out of a similar exhibit at the DoSeum in San Antonio. "Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage" challenged visitors to see dyslexia not as a learning disability but as simply a different way some human brains work. The exhibit featured videos, stories, and art work by dyslexic individuals that show how they succeed and create, as well as a selection of brain puzzles used to teach dyslexic people.

“Even though your brain works differently, it still lights up and is beautiful to watch, a wonderful machine you have. It just means you have to navigate and pivot a little differently,” Sudhoff said.

Sudhoff's innovative bridge between science and art is a permanent part of the Health Museum's MindWorks exhibit. Like "The Reading Brain," MindWorks maps out thinking processes through light and hands-on activities. The exhibit will close on January 5, meaning visitors have a very short time to see Sudhoff's piece.

The Health Museum is a hidden gem in Museum District located a block away from the Children's Museum. It houses a variety of exhibits about the human body, such as a giant plastic colon that kids love to run through. Since opening in 1969, the museum has helped Houstonians and visitors from around the world learn about the way the body works as well well as public health protocols. As the only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum in the Houston Museum District, it has a high educational pedigree despite it's colorful and often whimsical offerings.

houston health museum museum district museums