It wasn’t even a year ago that Zach Bryan first headlined Crypto.com Arena. That was following a jump from his previous LA show at The Wiltern in 2022, nearly multiplying the capacity by 10 in the process. But in the year that past, he has again multiplied his draw, scheduling three nights at the same arena he only played once last year. In other places around the country, like Dallas and Philadelphia, he’s playing football stadiums. He recently landed his first No. 1 single with his Kacey Musgraves duet “I Remember Everything,” and has also offered up his first No. 1 album for his self-titled offering in the process. There is no denying that Zach Bryan keeps getting bigger, and we still don’t know if the peak is in sight.
Bryan, for his part, is not taking his foot off the gas. His rapid-fire release strategy defies norms — outside of the rap world, at least — and has resulted in a triple album, a regular full length, a live album, two EPs, and the “Dawns” single, all within the last two years. He’s got another album just about ready to go, too, with The Great American Bar Scene already poking its head out with a lead single, “Pink Skies,” on the charts and more songs being debuted live. “Guys I’m teasing no body, I write and record music reckless and fast,” Bryan tweeted a couple weeks back, “just got the record finished so it’ll be dropped on someone’s head any day now.” The new songs that we’ve heard are just as strong as anything that has came before, with Bryan trusting his craft and lacking the preciousness that many artists hold with regards to their catalog. Or, maybe Bryan is precious, but also just deservedly confident that this moment in time of inspiration is worth milking for all it is worth.
There’s a balance there that can be seen in his live show. On the second of his three Los Angeles performances, Bryan unveiled a setlist that had evolved in the last year, including many songs that had been released in the past 12 months while tightening the older tunes explored. The stage was less cluttered, his in-the-round concept honed even more for visually-appealing results. The choreographed moments still feel natural even when they’re obviously planned, be it the band posing around the drum kit while Zach caries a song, or a member going back-to-back with the drummer at a song’s peak, looking up to the rafters with locked-in passion.
And the members are starting to stand out even more than just Zach Bryan’s backing band. Most notable is multi-instrumentalist Read Connolly, who not only looks amazing in a suit while playing, but now has multiple standout solo moments during the set. As Bryan makes clear during the extended closer “Revival,” most of the people in the live band are longtime friends that Bryan is sharing his wild ride with. Zach’s gratitude extends not just that his life is forever changed, but also the lives of the people he cares most about.
Elsewhere in the performance, the “reckless and fast” nature of his recording output can be felt in the music he is highlighting. “Something In The Orange,” long his biggest hit until “I Remember Everything” came along, was dropped on this evening and seems to be a chapter that Bryan is emphasizing less. The next night he switched it, and didn’t play “I Remember Everything” in favor of “Orange,” underscoring a supreme confidence that relies less on an individual song than the overall product he’s bringing nightly. There isn’t a single song in the set, even the unreleased title track for his next album or the weeks-old “Pink Skies,” that don’t receive massive singalongs. When every song goes over like a hit, the pressure to deliver the actual hits on a nightly basis diminishes. Bryan is not playing to the people who heard him on the radio — a group that visibly grew in the last year but can’t diminish the show’s vibe. He’s playing to the folks that got him here, and the folks that will still be there when the dust settles.
Because that’s the fear: As Zach Bryan gets more and more popular, some of what makes him special might be sacrificed. But his concerts paint a different picture. Bryan is resolute in the way he’s been doing things, and he doesn’t appear to be changing courses. He can get bigger while getting better at the same time. There doesn’t have to be a choice.
