There’s no such thing as a perfect lineup, but this year’s concert series varies little from recent years. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Everyone who’s lived in Houston long enough knows that every year when March comes around, it’s time to get out your boots and get your rodeo on over at NRG Stadium. It’s almost tradition that every year, we go enjoy amazing barbecue, ride the ferris wheel and stuff our faces with funnel cake and fried Oreos. Then the night ends by seeing a performance by one of our favorite artists.
But this year, the world’s largest indoor rodeo doesn’t seem that much more exciting then last year. Last week Rodeo Houston announced its concert lineup, and there are almost too many familiar faces. From Pitbull to Brad Paisley, we get that sticking with the same people is a safe choice, but these are artists we’ve seen more than once.
We want some big new faces.
Most of the bands in this year’s lineup have made more than two appearances in the past five years, with this year being Brad Paisley’s 10th appearance for Rodeo Houston. Jason Derulo is a good addition, but in 2015 we had John Legend and in 2014 both Usher and Maroon 5.
Now understandably the artists are meant to lean more toward country artists, and with Keith Urban and Luke Bryan coming, the country is covered pretty well. But this will be Urban’s sixth Rodeo appearance and Luke Bryan’s fifth in a row.
Every year there is meant to be an artist from every major genre: rock, country, R&B/hip-hop and pop. This year all that’s covered is one R&B singer, Jason Derulo, a truckload of country artists and then Kid Rock who fringes more on the southern-rock side then actual rock and roll. Last year Fall Out Boy came, bringing in more of a younger audience and covering that alternative rock area. Is Kid Rock really the only rock artist covering that genre this time around?
In 2014 REO Speedwagon showed up and the year before that Styx.
There has consistently been a top 20 Billboard artist every year, but this year the only top artists lay in the country category.
We expect every year to at least try to outperform the last.
Hopefully, 2017 will be a bigger year for the Rodeo Houston concerts.
— The Cougar Editorial Board
