Zach Bryan in Dublin review: Gen Z’s Garth Brooks puts on a charming – and lengthy – show

Zach Bryan

Phoenix Park, Dublin

★★★★☆

Yeehaw arrives in the Phoenix Park on Friday night for the first of Zach Bryan’s three shows this weekend, and everyone involved gives it plenty of welly.

The American country singer-songwriter and rock musician plays to a sold-out crowd of 60,000, with a lot of cowboy hats, cowboy boots, lace, denim and fringes on show.

The vibe is perfectly summed up by two people behind us on the 50-minute walk from the Heuston Luas stop: “If you look out, you just see a crowd of people,” the woman says, “and they all look the same.” A man replies: “Even the lads – all in T-shirts and shorts – and there’s always someone too drunk to get in.”

In fairness, the scorching weather certainly calls for shorts, and the boho-cowboy look many of the women are going for, combined with the sticky heat, gives the lengthy stroll down Chesterfield Avenue a feeling of the US music festival Coachella, which takes place in the California desert.

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Days after the death of Henry Mount Charles, one can’t help but be reminded of the long trek through Slane for the many memorable concerts there; the queues for food and drink are also similar to those of the Meath venue: long, winding and feeling as if they are ever growing.

One concertgoer remarks that they were in the queue for the bar for an hour. A ticket for Bryan does not come cheap – upwards of €120 initially and much more on the resale market – so spending a lot of that time waiting isn’t ideal.

That said, Bryan himself gives fans their money’s worth, coming on stage just after 8pm and playing until the 10.30pm curfew. Those at Charli XCX this week in Malahide couldn’t say the same.

His onstage band play trumpets, fiddles, piano, double bass and a multitude of others instruments; they’re mostly wearing western-style outfits and cowboy hats, which all ties in the howdy vibes perfectly next to Bryan’s more subdued short-sleeved shirt and trousers.

The Oklahoma man has a real southern charm; he’s incredibly endearing as he repeatedly thanks the audience and smiles when they sing along with the likes of Pink Skies – which some may recognise from TikTok – and Something in the Orange, in particular. He offers some titbits from his life between the songs while sipping on a can of Budweiser.

The deep romance of Bryan’s songs is reflected in the crowd, with couples hugging and swaying together. There is swinging and dancing during the livelier tunes, as well, such as Nine Ball and the encore’s Revival.

The show’s visuals are effective, too, and change throughout the set. Expect all the bells and whistles at the end in the form of fireworks.

Overall, it’s a charming performance filled with references to good old American culture, without all of the politics. Bryan certainly feels like the Garth Brooks of the next generation – though he’d probably qualify for a cooler comparison to Bruce Springsteen.

If you’re heading to the show on Saturday or Sunday, make sure to drink a lot of water – Bryan has to stop the show to make sure a fan is okay after an incident that reminds the crowd of the same message. And maybe leave the cowboy boots at home: there are many soiled socks on the way back, as the heavy footwear became unbearable for the long journey in and out.