Ryan Bingham evidently had enough of dealing with wildfire destruction (and the California politics that come with it) the Palisades fire was the catalyst that sparked a return to his home state of Texas.
It was early 2025 when the Palisades and Eaton fires ripped through much of Los Angeles area. Wild fires sparked in early January, and entire neighborhoods were wiped off the map as the fires collectively burned over 38,000 acres. Over 130,000 people were evacuated, and more than 16,000 structures were destroyed.
Firefighters and first responders did their best to control the blaze, but strong Santa Ana winds and dwindling water resources made their jobs close to impossible. Many of the fires that were burning at the time were categorized as “zero percent contained,” and some of them burned for close to a month.
Ryan Bingham lived through that nightmare, and detailed his experience on The Joe Rogan Experience recently. He said that he and his wife (and their horses and dogs) were some of the first people to leave the area when the Palisades fire started up:
“We got hit hard last year. That was kind of it for me too. I was like, ‘I’m out.’ I’ve evacuated out of there several times over the years. I’ve got horses and stuff up there now, and luckily I always keep a big truck and a trailer, just in case. I’ve got some friends down in Burbank that have some stables that I had as a back up plan. But this was just a different deal.”
The actor and country music singer loaded up the trailer, truck, camper and the dogs and went to Burbank. He said he remembers the wind howling, and trees coming down everywhere as they made the trek. They settled in for one night, and when they woke up, the Altadena fire had started up nearby… so they had no choice but to keep moving:
“It felt like the end of the world… I was like, ‘Let’s go, let’s get out of here and head north.’ I had some friends in Moorpark, up in that area. Trying to find us a place to go with some horses. We went up there, stayed there a night, and then they cut all the power off up in the area because winds were snapping power lines and they were worried about fires.
You know, after doing that a few nights in a row, I was like, ‘Let’s just head east and go to Texas.’ So we just did that. We’re like, ‘Let’s get out of here,’ and we didn’t know when we were gonna make it back. It was closed indefinitely or whatever. It’s just like, ‘Man, I’m over it.'”
Some truly scary stuff. Of course, the state of California doesn’t make rebuilding any easier. Bingham and Rogan discussed how much rep tape (and how much money it costs) is involved in clearing land, building new houses, etc… As of January, only 2,600 permits were approved out of the more than 16,000 structures, however, recent efforts by the Trump Administration to fast track the permit process have helped.
But as Bingham said, that ordeal was the last straw for him. He decided to relocated to the Dallas, Texas area (he was raised in the Lone Star State), and is currently in the process of moving there from California. You can hear him talk more about his experience with the Palisades wildfires and his decision to relocate in the interview below:
Oh, and if you’ve never seen Ryan Bingham play live, make sure to go check him out. If you have seen him… go support him again. He’s one of the most underrated acts in all of country music right now, and he could be coming to a town near you.
Ryan Bingham Tour Dates
May 22—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE
May 23—Columbus, OH—KEMBA Live!
May 24—Cleveland, OH—The Agora
May 26—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
May 27—Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 29—Buffalo, NY—Artpark Mainstage Theater
May 30—Kingston, NY—Ulster Performing Arts Center
June 1—South Deerfield, MA—Summer Stage at Tree House Brewing Company
June 2—Portland, ME—State Theatre
June 3—Boston, MA—Roadrunner
June 5—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre
June 6—New Haven, CT—Toad’s Place
June 7—Montclair, NJ—The Wellmont Theater
June 9—New York, NY—Irving Plaza
June 10—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore
June 12—Richmond, VA—The National
June 13—Washington, D.C.—Lincoln Theatre
June 14—Norfolk, VA—The Norva
June 16—Chattanooga, TN—The Signal
June 18—Fayetteville, AR—Ozark Music Hall
June 19—Dallas, TX—Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater
July 11—Alta, WY—Grand Targhee Resort
July 18—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky Festival
