the good he'll do

Reluctant music superstar Zach Bryan heads to Houston on new U.S. stadium tour

Bryan heads to NRG as part of his huge stadium tour.

Zach Bryan/Instagram

Is the multi-talented Zach Bryan the greatest thing to happen to country music — or even music as a whole — in years? We’re absolutely biased in saying so, but let’s look at the numbers. Bryan’s May 19 show at Toyota Center, part of his Burn Burn Burn North American Tour, sold out immediately and marked the largest attendance for a country artist in Toyota Center history.

So yeah, he’s kind of a big deal.

Now, Houstonians can pack an even bigger stadium next summer as Bryan has just announced a big July 27, 2023 show at NRG Stadium in support of his wildly anticipated tour.

Dubbed The Quittin Time 2024 Tour, Bryan’s nationwide trek kicks off in Chicago at the United Center on March 6. He’ll perform with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit plus Levi Turner as supporting acts. The NRG Stadium show marks 19 just-announced additional dates.

Bryan fans should head to the pre-sale registration site here — like, right now — to get in line for the pre-sale, which starts Wednesday, October 18. Regular sales kick off on Friday, October 20.

This surprise NRG announcement follows yet another surprise from Bryan, who suddenly dropped his new Boys Of Faith EP, featuring Bon Iver and Noah Kahan, just weeks ago in late September.

His 2022 triple album American Heartbreak (a must-listen release) debuted at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200, marking the biggest first week for a country album in 2022. Known for his epic live shows, Bryan released All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks), a live album recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, on Christmas Day last year.

This year, the reluctant superstar scored the Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year. (That certainly calls his snub for Best Country Solo Performance in the Grammy Awards for “Something in the Orange” even more so). He released his eponymous, fourth studio album in August, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

His most recent single from the album, “I Remember Everything” (with fellow star Kacey Musgraves), managed to top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Rock Songs, and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts all at once, being the first song ever to do so and literally making music history.

Not too shabby for a Navy brat from Oologah, Oklahoma (by way of Okinawa, Japan where he was born when his family was stationed there). Boasting the kind of country music origin story that seems written for a movie, Bryan himself was an active member of the U.S. Navy when he launched his career via YouTube in 2017 — while he was literally on the naval base. He was only just honorably discharged in October 2021 after eight years of service — and the fact that he signed to Warner Records and played the legendary Grand Ole Opry that year.

Oh, and adding to his everyman/folk American hero status: He made sure that the most expensive ticket for his Burn Burn Burn tour show was a mere $156 — a steal compared to what fans have been forking out (think $450 plus) before he took over.

“I believe working class people should still be able to afford tickets to shows,” Bryan declared on social media. “I am so tired of people saying things can't be done about this massive issue while huge monopolies sit there stealing money from working class people. Also, to any songwriter trying to make relatable music for the working class man or woman’ should pride themself on fighting for the people who listen to the words they’re singing.”

See? He’s kind of a big deal.

Crafting irresistible hooks and the kind of poetic lyricism that harks to John Prine, Bob Dylan, or Jim Croce, Bryan can take listeners through wine-fueled romance, bro trips, and the dark loneliness of the cowboy life track by track. Songs like “Tishomingo” and “Good I’ll Do” became instant Google and Shazam searches when they appeared on Yellowstone (Bryan performed on the Taylor Sheridan hit, too.)

His Quittin Time 2024 Tour follows his trend of playing — and usually selling out — major U.S. stadiums. He’ll perform in major cities like New York City (two nights), Los Angeles (three nights), and Chicago — illustrating his major crossover appeal. He’ll gig with the aforementioned Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Sheryl Crow, The War And Treaty, Mt. Joy, Sierra Ferrell, The Middle East, Matt Maeson, and Levi Turner.

Here are the new additions to The Quittin Time 2024 Tour. Find the full tour dates, ticket information, and more

here.

March 30 Belmont Park, NY UBS Arena
March 31 Belmont Park, NY UBS Arena
May 31 Oakland, CA Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
June 2 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
June 3 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
June 4 Los Angeles, CA Crypto.com Arena
June 14 Denver, CO Empower Field at Mile High
June 20 Detroit, MI Ford Field
June 29 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium
July 17 Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium
July 21 Orlando, FL Amway Center
July 22 Sunrise, FL Amerant Bank Arena
July 25 New Orleans, LA Caesars Superdome
July 27 Houston NRG Stadium
August 11 Atlanta, GA Mercedes-Benz Stadium
August 26 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
December 12 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
December 18 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
December 19 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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