Country singer-songwriter Zach Bryan performed at Notre Dame Football Stadium on Sept. 6 for a crowd of 80,000 people, with comedian Shane Gillis and Irish singer-songwriter Dermont Kennedy. Kennedy and Gillis were the show’s opener, performing for about two hours. At 9 p.m. Bryan made his entrance with the song “Overtime.”
I was lucky enough to get pit tickets, which gave me a close view of Bryan and his band members. I traveled around two hours to South Bend, Indiana, to watch him perform. While parking and traffic was a cluster of thousands of people, I was still able to make it just as Gillis was coming on stage.
I’ve never been to a concert where a comedian is one of the openers, but I thought it was a good idea and it was super cool to hear everyone laugh at his jokes. It gives everyone a chance to sit down and relax before the long night begins. I often hate getting to concerts super early and hearing people open who I don’t even know, but having someone tell jokes was super fun and something I think more artists should do.
Before the show started, I was able to quickly get merchandise before the line was too long. I was very excited about this because Bryan’s merchandise is good quality and always super comfortable. Although it was expensive, I bought a t-shirt and a hoodie, which kept me warm through the cold night.
When Bryan came out, he played most of his older songs while also throwing in some of his new songs from his latest album, “The Great American Bar Scene.” Some of the older songs he played were “Something in the Orange” and two of my all-time favorites, “Oklahoma Smokeshow” and “Nine Ball.” I was happy he played his older songs because I wasn’t as familiar with his new album just yet. Bryan performed until 11:30 p.m., and even as it got later, fans were still singing and dancing all through the night.
This is my second Zach Bryan concert, and both times have been such a fun experiences. Hearing everyone sing and dance is a feeling that can’t be beat. Bryan is such an amazing performer and he always gets his fans up on their feet. Many people around me were crying and yelling the lyrics due to their deep meanings. Being up so close made the experience even better because the first time my seats were in the nosebleeds. Obviously, where you sit doesn’t matter because the music still sounds the same, but it made this experience much more meaningful because you can really see how Bryan feels while he sings his songs.
As a person who loves all different types of music, Zach Bryan is truly one of my favorite artists. This attributes not only to his performing skills, but also to his songs. Being in a stadium with so many people singing the same lyrics and experiencing an amazing time is something I wish I could relive over again. I would love to go to even more of his concerts in the future, and I recommend putting on one of his songs when you’re looking for new music.
