Zach Top Proves He’s Worth New Headliner Status in Montana

It’s a new era in country music, and neotraditionalist Zach Top is largely to blame. His throwback ’90s sound reminds the older generations what country music and country radio used to sound like back before pop and other influences took over, while younger audiences are discovering it all for themselves for the first time through an artist they can relate to.

Not that many were questioning it previously, but on Saturday night, July 18th at the Under The Big Sky Festival in Whitefish, Montana, Zach Top had a resounding answer to anyone who wondered if he deserves headliner status. You’ve seen him near the “top” of some big mainstream festivals, but just below the top tier, with some exceptions. He did headline the Greenville Country Music Fest in 2025 with Koe Wetzel and a couple others. But he proved Saturday night, he is a pinnacle country music performer.

A packed field came to a deafening roar as Top made his way out onto the stage. As the old saying goes, it was a crowd from 8 to 80 who could all relate to Zach’s music, and many who were singing every word to every song back at the stage. Zach played music from his debut country record Cold Beer & Country Music (2024), and his Grammy-winning 2025 album Ain’t In It For My Health, along with some classic country and bluegrass covers.

In fact, fans were treated to an entire bluegrass set around an Ear Trumpet microphone, with the whole band picking up acoustic instruments, including the drummer with a bluegrass snare. They went to town for a host of songs, including a rather epic version of Jimmy Martin’s “Freeborn Man.”

Lots was made earlier this year when Zach Top let numerous long-time members of his band go in a retooling of sorts, namely acoustic guitarist and harmony vocalist Cheyenne Dalton Meyer and her husband and bass player Jimmy Meyer. Some felt it was disloyal for Top to move on. But the move was designed to optimize and tighten Top’s stage presentation, and you saw that on display Saturday night, including Zach solely playing acoustic guitar himself, and not even once handling his Brent Mason-signature Telecaster that he’s become famous for.

It does feel like without those blazing electric solos, Top is leaving a weapon in his arsenal unused. But he still took plenty of incredible leads on the acoustic, and perhaps has even refined his playing on the instrument under the new arrangement. Meanwhile, the band is deadly tight, rolling in and out of songs seemingly effortlessly, evoking the ’90s sound in the modern era.

Zach Top has also received fair criticism that some of the songs on his latest album were a little “light” in the songwriting dept., and he’s relying too much on ’90s nostalgia as opposed to more original ideas. This remains true in the recorded context. But rendered live, the new songs and throwback stuff still is so successful in getting audiences to buy in. The beachy song “Flip–Flop” sort of felt like a flop on the record. But live, the audience was completely into it, including holding up their flip-flops in the air when Zach Top prompted.

There were many of those memory-making moments during the Zach Top set that he smartly leaned into. The major single and best song from his new album “South of Sanity” created a very special moment, especially since it starts off with the verse “somewhere outside of Missoula,” which is exactly where Under The Big Sky is. Though it’s an easy gimmick, when Top compelled the audience to take out their phone flashlights, it did make for a spectacular scene under the big sky in Montana.

There were a couple of other unique and newsworthy moments, including Stephen Wilson Jr. coming out to sing “Pancho and Lefty” with Zach (see video). Stephen had played right before Zach on the main stage. Unfortunately, Wilson Jr. flubbed the words perhaps a couple of times, and Zach had to rescue him. It probably wasn’t Stephen’s finest moment, but by the end, everything was put back on track, and it still was a great “moment.”

Two years ago when Zach Top played, it was headliner Billy Strings who brought him out for a couple of epic bluegrass songs. It might have been cool to see Zach select Drury Anderson or Luke Black from Mountain Grass Unit to guest with him. After all, except for Zach’s epic set, they became the story of Saturday at Under The Big Sky. Along with playing their scheduled set on the 2nd stage, they also filled in on the main one for Waylon Wyatt who was sick with sepsis.

The other newsworthy moment is when Zach Top debuted a brand new song possibly called “Good Girls.” It’s hook goes, “Good girls are made of sugar and spice. Cowgirls are made of whiskey and ice.” Saving Country Music doesn’t share new songs debuted live, but can verify the song went over very well with the audience, especially the women.

For some specific members of the audience, the experience was even more memorable. There was one especially enthusiastic fan that was standing dead center stage on the very front row during the show. When Zach Top sang “Use Me,” tears were streaming down her cheeks, and it wasn’t easy for the whole audience around her to not feel similarly emotional. Either Zach Top himself, or someone on his team noticed her, and with a security attache, escorted her backstage, likely to view the rest of the show stage side, and meet Zach Top later on.

Throughout most of the set, someone was holding up a jean jacket painted with “Zach Top” on the back. At some point, it made it to the stage, and was signed by Zach. Then as the show ended, it made it back out front. There was another especially impassioned fan on the front row, and the security noticing her and thinking the jacket was simply something being taken off the stage for anyone to receive (like the sets lists, etc,), they gave the jacket to her instead of the rightful owner. A strong conversation ensued, but it appears it was the impassioned fan, not the original owner that left with the jacket.

Zach Top did not play an encore, which was perfect. He instead packed as much music as he could into the abbreviated, but still full-feeling 90 minute set (see set list below). Zach Top might not still be at the top of the charts, but he’s proving that his throwback country music is not just a gimmick, and the appeal won’t just be short-lived. He’s a premier entertainer, singer, and guitar player. He deserves to be headlining shows all across the United States. And so does country music.

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For more from Under The Big Sky Fest, follow Saving Country Music on Instagram. A full recap of the 2026 Under The Big Sky Fest is forthcoming.

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