Seemingly grown in a secret lab in Nashville to play RodeoHouston, country neotraditionalist Zach Top made his rodeo debut on Tuesday night before a sold-out crowd of 70,865.

When I first heard “Sounds Like The Radio” in early 2024, with its thumping opening drums and his Telecaster crying, I immediately imagined him playing RodeoHouston’s five-point stage. Part of me wishes the organizers had pulled one of the old stages out of storage for just one night.

The illegitimate love child of Alan Jackson and an afternoon of cheesy country music videos on CMT in 1994, Top has become one of the most intriguing and engaging acts of his kind. 2024’s aptly-named “Cold Beer & Country Music” LP plays like a sun-bleached greatest hits album you’d excitedly flip to inside your favorite cowboy dive bar’s analog jukebox next to one of King George Strait’s hits collections.

Top’s producer, Carson Chamberlain, spent time with none other than Keith Whitley on the road as a bandleader and steel guitarist. Nashville songwriters Paul Overstreet, Tim Nichols, and Mark Nesler were enlisted to hone and co-write the 12-song set. This crew was responsible for writing some of the biggest radio hits of the ‘90s and early ‘00s for Strait, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, and Mark Chesnutt.

Overly analyzing the 27-year-old Top and his pedigree ruins the fun of it all. He’s ranch-raised from rural Washington state and talks like he’s from right outside Boerne, and we’re living in a digital age where influences come flowing at us from all sides. Top’s aim is true and pure, and he’s not wrapping himself in fads. He’s also got a perfect eyebrows-to-moustache ratio.

Starting his night with “Sounds Like The Radio,” Top and his band had the crowd in the psalm of their hands. A classic jukebox, naturally, was sitting at stage right.

“This is far and away the biggest show we’ve played,” Top said, marveling at the audience through the static of the stage’s overpowering lights. Just two years ago, he and his band played in front of a crowd of 12 somewhere in Alabama, he said. He then cracked open a cold can of Coors Banquet beer to kick off “Beer For Breakfast,” the trademark yellow can sweating at his feet.

Top and the band offered up a loose and swinging version of outlaw legend Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever,” leading into “Bad Luck” and the cheating tune “Use Me.”

One of the perks of covering RodeoHouston concerts is having access to the night’s setlist ahead of time. Whenever we see highlights on the list, we get giddy, knowing what’s about to happen.

“This was the first song I ever learned how to play,” Top said, the band launching into “Amarillo By Morning.”

Playing a faithful George Strait cover on the stage at RodeoHouston isn’t easy. There’s a brashness and presumptiveness to it; if you do it wrong, they might not invite you back. It’s like screwing up a hallowed hymn in church. Naturally, Top’s team nailed it, updating the tempo to a strut.

“I Never Lie” — which has nearly 115 million spins on Spotify — was the biggest sing-along of the night. Top showed off his bluegrass roots with “Things To Do,” dripping with a wicked Ricky Skaggs-esque solo. As the band closed with “Cold Beer & Country Music,” a saddled horse was led to the side of the stage for Top, replacing the usual pickup truck.

And with that, the newest RodeoHouston “it” cowboy rode away in grand, galloping style.

Setlist

Sounds Like The Radio
The Kinda Woman I Like
Beer For Breakfast
Lonely for Long
Dirt Turns To Gold
There’s The Sun
Ramblin’ Fever (Merle Haggard cover)
Bad Luck
Use Me
Amarillo By Morning (George Strait cover)
Justa Jonesin’
Cowboys Like Me Do
I Never Lie
Things To Do
Cold Beer & Country Music