“He sounds the same in concert as he does on Spotify!”
A profound observation from my girlfriend, who actually makes a great point about artists often diverting from their studio tone during a live show, blending with the backing tracks when necessary to preserve the sound that fans paid to hear. Fortunately, Chris Stapleton’s talent allows him to elevate beyond that. Stapleton, who has co-written with George Strait and Peter Frampton and opened on tour for the Eagles and Tom Petty, packed a stadium of 70,000 faithful for a musical celebration that superseded the traditional Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo antics.
Stapleton opened with the twangy, five minute “Bad as I Used to Be” cut from “F1: The Movie.” Although I’m not keen to songs made for movie soundtracks (especially when we only get 30-second snippets during the scene,” I give much credit to Stapleton for writing a quality song by himself that perfectly fits the movie’s plot, and I appreciate the producers of “F1” for creating a memorable scene. The song has replay value and memorability, and provided a great introduction for the night.
For most of the night, Stapleton sung in a harmonized duet with his wife and fellow singer, Morgane. The back-and-forth stares were reminiscent of couples karaoke, but refreshingly more mature. Nowhere was this aura more strongly felt than the underappreciated ballad “It Takes a Woman,” bringing tears, flashlights, and romantic couple moments across NRG Stadium (I was not immune from crying myself here.) Stapleton’s ability to break through the saturation of love songs to provoke raw emotions is one of his strongest qualities as a musician.
He them riffed through some of his greatest hits, including “You Should Probably Leave,” “Think I’m In Love With You,” and “Starting Over,” the last of which was also emotionally resonant and featured strong instrumental support from the lap steel guitar by Paul Franklin. As he introduced the rest of his band with the usual fun facts and hometowns, he continued singing — a true testament to the durability of his voice.
As the final notes of Tennessee Whiskey played, I thought to myself: this is the best RODEOHOUSTON performance I have seen. I don’t say that because I’m a Stapleton superfan — I knew a handful of songs going in — but this encapsulates the spirit of the Houston Rodeo: romantic country with substance, deep-rooted soul, and strength through humility. I welcome Chris Stapleton into my growing country rotation, and I hope to welcome him back to Houston soon.
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