Some INCREDIBLY high praise from the Canadian singer/songwriter.
It’s hard to imagine a more fascinating artist in today’s country music landscape than Zach Bryan. In a six-year span, the “Something in the Orange” singer has gone from recording his debut album, DeAnn, in a Florida Airbnb and scoring viral hits online to selling his publishing catalog for a staggering $350 million, becoming the eighth-highest-selling artist in country music history and, most notably, setting the record for highest-attended concert in U.S. history when he performed to a crowd of 112,408 at Michigan Stadium.
Though there’s no doubt that artists such as Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson and Cody Jinks were the forefathers of the current independent and alternative country renaissance we’ve currently been experiencing over the better half of a decade, there’s no denying that Bryan was the one who blew the door off the hinges, so to speak.
While Childers and Simpson, and in a way, Chris Stapleton, paved the way for the death of some of the worst country music had to offer in the genre in late 2010s, the Oklahoma native quite clearly paved the path for a more folk-inspired, songwriting-centric style of country that had been severely lacking over the past decade or so. Raw (sometimes even bad) production, introspective and emotional lyricism, Zach’s stripped-down style cuts straight to the hearts of his fans, connecting deep down on a level that you’ll rarely ever find on country radio.
Obviously, you can have your qualms about Bryan’s off-stage endeavors, highlighted by toxic, public breakups, beefs with fellow artists, strange fan interactions and the like. With that being said, however, you simply cannot take away the unprecedented levels of success he has experienced — most of which have been completely organic and grassroots in nature.
Because of this, we’ve seen the “Sweet DeAnn” singer garner one of the most dedicated, nearly rabid fanbases ever seen, rivaling the likes of global superstars such as Taylor Swift, Beyonce and more. Bryan’s fanbase has not gone unnoticed by fellow artists as well.
During a conversation with Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast back in 2024, Sheryl Crow, the Canadian singer/songwriter known for hits like “Picture” (with Kid Rock), “If It Makes You Happy” and “Soak Up the Sun,” offered up some incredibly high praise for Bryan.
Reflecting on the time she opened up for him on his Quittin’ Time Tour, Crow would make the bold claim and liken Bryan to The Beatles, noting that she has “never seen anything like it” from a pure crowd and fanbase perspective.
“We went out and opened up for him, and it was like The Beatles. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never… Not since The Beatles have I seen anything like it. Seriously… 30,000, 40,000 kids, with no hit, singing every word [and] hanging on his every [word]… from TikTok.”
After some pushback from Maher about whether or not Bryan can truly compare to a band that, for all intents and purposes, changed the modern music landscape, Crow would defend him and offer more praise.
In particular, she’d note how much his music, along with Childers’ (or Childress as she would call him), has resonated with young people due to the storytelling.
“Truth be told, there’s a whole lane of music now that sort of falls into Americana, but it’s old school country — like Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan. And they’re writing songs about hard-living people with real struggles. It’s three chords, four chords, and it’s good.
For whatever reason, it’s resonating with 16-year-olds and 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds, and I’m down for it. I’m here for it. They’re writing stories. It’s not six-second [clips]… It’s old school.”
It’s not just Crow who shares this sentiment, however. Back before the release of even American Heartbreak, former tourmate and “Jamie” collaborator, Charles Wesley Godwin, would tell us here at Whiskey Riff in 2021 that he also felt that the fandom surrounding Bryan rivaled that of the Beatles when they first came to America, calling it a “modern day version.”
“My dad has told me throughout my life about what it was like when The Beatles came to America. And, just the die hard fandom that they had. I’m here to say, and I’ll die on this mountain, I think Zach Bryan… like the energy that his fans have for him… it’s gotta be like some modern day version of that.
The whole thing is crazy. It’s his first tour ever, and he’s selling out rooms all across the country, every single one between 1,500 and 5,000 seaters. Ya know, his first tour. And everybody in the crowd knows every single word… I’ve never seen anything like it. When he steps out, and him and his guys go on stage and they’re about to start their show, you feel like you need hearing protection. Like, it is electric. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Charles Wesley Godwin would double down on that claim in a later conversation as well.
And while I wouldn’t quite put Bryan into Beatles territory (I think the only living artist who can even be in that conversation is Taylor Swift), it’s not controversial to say that the 30-year-old singer/songwriter has built up a fanbase that can only be rivaled by a few artists at this point in his career. There’s no denying that he’s reached a certain level of fame that not many artists, especially in country music, can ever dream of.
Zach Bryan Tour Dates
July 24 – Eugene, Oregon – Autzen Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
July 31 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
August 1 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
August 7 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Rice-Eccles Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
August 13 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
August 14 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
August 22 – Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
September 5 – Glendale, Arizona – State Farm Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili
September 18 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Kings of Leon, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose
September 19 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Alabama Shakes, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose
September 21 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose
September 22 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose
October 2 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose
October 3 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose
October 10 – Auburn, Alabama – Jordan-Hare Stadium – Gregory Alan Iskov & Gabriella Rose
