For Zach Bryan's The Quittin' Time tour, the fast-rising superstar has managed to make arenas feel like a cozy backyard jam – just what he delivered during his first of three nights at Los's Crypto.com Angels.
With a stage located in the center of the floor, allowing every seat in the house to be sold with an unobstructed view, the setup was simple: string lights hung on either side of the rectangular platform, hanging above the general entrance pits, while four screens they hung high above the stage, rotating between music video clips, personal videos and close-ups of what was happening below.
The casual setting allowed for a rare type of fluidity for a concert of her size, with Bryan slipping from each of the four microphones on stage – one placed on each side, ensuring no one in the arena was left out – with a comfortable ease. The set-up also forced him to ensure that every note he sang was distinct, so that no matter which side he sang, no one felt cheated out of enjoying their favorite song (but that's not to say he didn't also have a few lyrical slips, which add to everyone's casualness).
And for good measure, Bryan's seven-piece band also moved around the stage, each contributing to the band-like nature of the show. “Me and all these guys behind me grew up in a very small town in Oklahoma,” Brian told the crowd, noting that the musicians on stage were some of his best friends.
Without much words, Bryan used his to endlessly thank the crowd and share his shock and appreciation at selling out arenas like this one across the country. He doubled down on the humility after introducing each song, which he followed by saying, “I hope you don't hate it.” Judging by the obnoxious singalongs echoing throughout the venue, surely no one did. “I don't want to say this because I might get canceled on the internet,” Brian said wide-eyed, “but this is the loudest crowd we've had.”
Below are highlights from Byran's one-stop night in Los Angeles.
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Its energy input
With the stage in the center of the arena, Bryan szx had to make his way through the dense crowd (via a thin path that had been blocked off for him and his band). “Let's go!” screamed an announcer as Brian walked down the path, illuminated by the phone lights of fans capturing the moment. With his band in place, and already playing the opening chords of “Overtime,” Bryan stepped in with his guitar already strapped. “How are we feeling, Los Angeles?” asked a roaring crowd before immediately diving into a louder version of the beat. “Thank you so much for being here,” he said right after. “I hope everyone has the best night of their lives.”
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His rare but revealing ideas
“No one knows this, but I wrote this song in Los Angeles,” Bryan said of “Fifth of May,” a song that references Western Kentucky and East Los Angeles. , “I told the boys I wasn't going to play tonight and I already did, I'm so sorry.”
After the song ended, Bryan opened up a bit more, telling fans, “I started this music shit four years ago… I had no idea I'd end up here tonight.” Later, while introducing “Nine Ball,” he shared another little-known story about how Matthew McConaughey ended up in the music video. After revealing that his girlfriend, Brianna LaPaglia, came up with the idea, Bryan told her, “You're crazy, there's no way that's happening.” However, he sent a DM and soon, McConaughey called Brian to tell him one thing:Okay, okay, okay.”
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A Killer One-Two Punch
Of all Zach Bryan's stellar collaborations, he put two of the biggest back-to-backs on the setlist, performing “Dawns,” featuring Maggie Rogers, before “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves and scored Bryan his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. While Bryan began “Dawns” acoustically, singing under the spotlight with his rap accompanied only by his own guitar, the song ended in a freewheeling jam session for which Bryan jumped into sphere of his guitarists. . And despite each record's emotional intimacy, the songs spawned impassioned arena singalongs, proving that even the tenderest of duets can sound at home performed solo on an arena stage.
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His Very Special Guest (or Two)
Although neither Rodgers nor Musgraves joined Bryan on stage (both have previously performed duets with him on tour), he welcomed The War and Treaty to the stage for their “Hey Driver” collaboration. As Bryan told the crowd, “Usually when we sing this it sounds like s–t, but we're lucky tonight.” The married duo opened for Bryan (and will again tonight, Monday, June 3), and delivered a rousing and soulful set of their own, during which they debuted three new songs. “We're working on a new record,” shared Tanya, who later asked the audience if she should include one of the new songs in the project. And who knows, maybe they'll team up with Bryan for a duet theirs album this time.
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The Wildly Chaotic, Fun-Filled Encore
After performing “Quittin' Time,” Bryan ignored the implications of that title by returning to the stage for one final song, an endless cover of “Revival.” As Bryan allowed each member of his band to show off their skills, introducing them before asking them to “prove it,” he was joined by even more friends on stage: his girlfriend sang along with the Jake Shane influence (@passthatpuss) and towards the end even Tate McRae joined in on the fun, dancing and laughing with the two as T-shirt cannons were fired into the crowd. “That's all we got, LA,” Brian said, before diving back into the song, declaring with absolute certainty, “We've got an all-night revival.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/zach-bryan-quittin-time-tour-los-angeles-best-moments/
