Zach Bryan Makes Return to Red Rocks After Recording New Album
Last November when Zach Bryan played the legendary Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado, it was a show for the ages in a blinding snowstorm making for some wild photos and moments, and eventually, a live album called All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster. When Zach returned June 26th and 27th for two sold-out shows, the weather was pushing 90 degrees when folks started arriving. Ski gear was replaced by tank tops and cutoffs, and toboggans were switched with cowboy hats.
Opening the show on June 27th was Levi Turner, who is Zach Bryan’s first official signee to his Belting Bronco record label as part of Zach’s deal with Columbia. Last week Turner released his debut album called Allergy Season, and featured songs from the release during his 25-minute opening set.
Then it was an opportunity for Zach Bryan to make good to Jonathan Peyton, who had his performance last November at Red Rocks postponed entirely due to the snowstorm. Peyton and wife Abigail made the best of a bad opportunity at the time though, playing a show in the snow out in the parking lot. This time the couple celebrated their 10th Wedding Anniversary on the actual Red Rocks stage, finally playing their promised Red Rocks set.
Performing at Red Rocks is only second to stages like The Ryman when it comes to prestige. When singing his song “Highway Boys” that makes reference to the Country Music Mother Church, Bryan replaced “The Ryman” with “Red Rocks.” When performing the song “Snow,” Zach referenced how in November they tried to shut the show down. “We wouldn’t let ‘em!” Zach said. This was slightly bad timing since just six days before, Red Rocks received strong criticism for not shutting down, and 100 people were injured and seven sent to the hospital due to a hail storm during a Louis Tomlinson concert.
Zach Bryan was also recently in the MilkBoy Studio in Philadelphia self-producing his new upcoming album. “I have a new album coming out and I told the guys this morning that we’re gonna have to do one,” Zach said from the stage. “It’s called ‘El Dorado.’ If I mess it up, it’s the band’s fault.”
Zach ended up missing a few lines, but it otherwise sounded great. “It went better than I thought it would.”
Bryan has also alluded that the new album won’t be a 30+ track treatise like his last one. He’s alluded that it will only be 11 songs long. “I’m in my quality over quantity era,” hr recently said on Twitter. Zach has also said he made this album for himself, and doesn’t care if the fans like it. No word on a release date as of yet.
Zach Bryan is now off to make multiple festival appearances over the next few weeks, including Summerfest in Wisconsin, Festival Quebec, The Windy City Smokeout in Chicago, Under The Big Sky Fest in Montana, Rock The South in Alabama, and FairWell Fest in Oregon.
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Thanks to Kevin Martinico of iListenCO for the on-the-ground reporting from Red Rocks, and for the photos. To see more photos from the show, CLICK HERE.
June 27th Red Rocks Set List:
Open the Gate
God Speed
Fifth of May
Highway Boys
Quittin’ Time
Tishomingo
Dawns
Condemned
Sweet DeAnn
Sun to Me
Oklahoma Smokeshow
The Good I’ll Do
Something in the Orange
Heavy Eyes
Snow
All the Time
No Cure
’68 Fastback
El Dorado (first time played?)
Heading South
Burn, Burn, Burn
Encore:
Revival
June 30, 2023 @ 1:52 pm
Gee I thought nothing could top the great photos in the snowstorm show, but that last one looking up at the crowd with the moon is truly spectacular!
June 30, 2023 @ 7:58 pm
Musically the Red Rocks show sounded sloppy.
June 30, 2023 @ 9:48 pm
I am referring to that last Red Rocks show – all my homies hate Ticketmaster.
July 1, 2023 @ 10:58 am
No shit.
It was going in to the single digits (temp wise) by the time the show was ending.
All the while snow was still pouring in. People were making snowballs off my hat.
It’s hard enough to play in those conditions, let alone keep instruments in tune.
July 1, 2023 @ 8:54 pm
yeah but no one forced ZB to release that show as a live album
July 3, 2023 @ 8:29 am
Don’t listen to it. Personally, I loved the sloppiness of it. That is the beauty of live music. If it simply sounds like what is on the album, what’s the point?
But there was an urgency to the music driven by the conditions that comes across on that album that adds to it. The version of “Revival” and in particular the videos of it, is as close to a religious experience as you are likely to get.
Here’s hoping more artists will release sloppy live shows. Or non-sloppy live shows. Who cares? Just get it out there.
July 3, 2023 @ 1:51 pm
The lyrics of Revival are stupid.
July 3, 2023 @ 1:52 pm
I guess drinking too many energy drinks and hanging with the other high schoolers in a Walmart parking lot is a “religious experience” for some. That seems to be the mentality of his core demographic.
July 1, 2023 @ 4:13 am
Doesn’t all Zach Bryan sound sloppy? I’m not condemning him or his songs, but he and his band lack the musicianship of most touring acts and certainly major headliners.
July 1, 2023 @ 4:48 am
I kept hearing how awesome his Red Rocks show was. I watched most of it. It’s just not that good.
July 3, 2023 @ 5:36 pm
Clickbait idiots. Don’t pay attention to their comments.
July 1, 2023 @ 3:15 am
Has he given a date for the new album
July 1, 2023 @ 7:23 am
No, he just finished it up, so it might be a while before we get a date.
July 1, 2023 @ 3:32 am
I enjoyed the snowy Red Rock show album. It is a bit of rough but really does feel live and vibrant. Definitely an artist that has won me over. He would be good to see live. Red Rock does look like a fantastic venue.
July 1, 2023 @ 6:06 pm
The Levi Turner album is fantastic!!!!
July 2, 2023 @ 1:08 am
“I’m in my quality over quantity era”. Really this should always be the case, but at least he got there in the end.
July 2, 2023 @ 10:53 am
That should be the implication
July 2, 2023 @ 6:28 pm
The guy has released a 34 song album a 9 song EP and 4 unrelated singles in the last year and now is cutting a new 11 song album and is trying to claim he’s doing quality over quantity now haha.
But hey, I’m glad we’ll finally get to hear what he can do when he tries to put time into cutting 11 quality songs into a cohesive product. Genuinely interested to hear this one.