{"id":293164,"date":"2025-10-10T23:23:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T23:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/293164\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T23:23:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T23:23:22","slug":"shaboozey-savors-the-moment-at-first-billy-bobs-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/293164\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaboozey Savors the Moment at First Billy Bob’s Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tShaboozey at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Elijah Smith<\/p>\n

The great American roadshow rolled through Fort Worth<\/a> at Billy Bob\u2019s Texas, a special night for country music\u2019s breakout star Shaboozey, who is on his first headlining tour.<\/p>\n

We wondered what type of crowd Shaboozey would draw at his show, and the answer is a Thursdays at Billy Bob\u2019s<\/a> crowd. It was packed from the pit to the showroom wings, keeping on brand for the world\u2019s largest honky-tonk. The ice troughs were full of beer. The show gathered a mix of fans of all ages to two-step and sing along to his biggest hits.<\/p>\n

Shaboozey\u2019s opener was Kevin Powers. Some background: He\u2019s the first signee to Shaboozey\u2019s American Dogwood label and is a Nashville-based singer\/songwriter who co-wrote \u201cAmen.\u201d As Shaboozey\u2019s career takes off, it demonstrates his genuine care for his artists, nurturing the next generation of voices and providing them with a platform to grow. Powers\u2019 set was welcomed by the crowd, performing a blend of styles like a country meets pop hybrid powerhouse. His last song, \u201cMove On,\u201d a collaboration with Shaboozey, closed out his set, and it wasn\u2019t the last time we\u2019ll be seeing him.<\/p>\n

The \u201cBoozey!\u201d chants started early. The crowd got sizably larger as anticipation built for his Billy Bob\u2019s debut. As the Eagles-Giants game played on screens, we had a moment to reflect on Shaboozey\u2019s presence in country music. At the upcoming CMA Awards in November, he\u2019s nominated for New Artist of the Year. He\u2019s part of Domino\u2019s modern and bold rebrand by providing a new jingle for them. His song, \u201cA Bar Song (Tipsy),\u201d spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here in Dallas, he caused a commotion by shutting down the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge during rush hour for BigXThaPlug\u2019s video for \u201cHome.\u201d<\/a> He\u2019s larger than life right now, helping to break country to levels it hasn\u2019t seen before.<\/p>\n

Compared with the last time we saw Shaboozey at TwoGether Land<\/a>, this was an entirely different artist who was absolutely seizing the moment. Once they cut the game on the screens, a video played of Shaboozey speaking with his tour bus driver, who was lost on the road trying to find his way to Fort Worth. He mentioned how he had no problem driving for Willie Nelson from one coast to another, rambling about how that \u201cfunky fog\u201d filled the bus and gave him strength. Once the GPS restored its connection, they were 20 minutes away from Dallas.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaboozey sold out Billy Bob\u2019s Texas in his first headlining show.<\/p>\n

\"\"The neon sign for his tour name.<\/p>\n

With swagger and showmanship, he had a full band, including a fiddle player. To the left of him was a large neon sign that read \u201cThe Great American Roadshow.\u201d For the next hour, Shaboozey lived up to the expectations fit for the watering hole we were in, providing enough tunes to raise our beers and toast to him. He was in a celebratory mood, in awe of how big Billy Bob\u2019s is and the number of people you can fit in here. It was his first time headlining a show in Fort Worth, and mentioning the size of the room more than once was probably because he couldn\u2019t believe it with his eyes.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Shaboozey told People<\/a> about what he faces as a Black artist in country music. \u201cI loved that there was so much room for some diversity in the space and to stand out. I love standing out,\u201d he says. \u201cI love that I\u2019m different. I think it\u2019s my superpower. [I\u2019m] not feeling like I\u2019m not allowed in this space because of the way I look or the way I dress or the way I present myself. If anything, hopefully it opens doors for people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaboozey adds to the history of country music, reminding us that his contributions and those of the people before him cannot be erased.<\/p>\n

After hearing him perform songs such as \u201cLast of My Kind,\u201d \u201cMy Love\u201d and \u201cBlink Twice,\u201d the thing you notice about Shaboozey is how natural he sounds live. His country twang and emotional vocals blend well, often prompting him to express a thought between songs and then reach for his drink. A Shaboozey show is all about letting the good times roll, as heard in \u201cTall Boy,\u201d \u201cDrink Don\u2019t Need No Mix\u201d and \u201cVegas.\u201d Everywhere we turned, someone was dancing or had a drink in hand, giving a whole new meaning to \u201cparty, party, party! Let\u2019s all get wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Give a tall boy to this booze woman.<\/p>\n

Even though this was a mostly adults-only party, Shaboozey acknowledged that there were young kids who were his fans. After bringing out Kevin Powers again to perform their song \u201cMove On,\u201d he stopped to address the crowd, thanking everyone for coming out. He signed hats, showing love to a kid in the front whose first concert was his. Calling his fans in Fort Worth his \u201cfamily,\u201d it led into his cover of Hank Williams Jr.\u2019s classic \u201cFamily Tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A kid tells Shaboozey this was his first concert.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaboozey signed hats of his fans while on stage.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaboozey, thanking his fans for coming to his show.<\/p>\n

There were times when Shaboozey got emotional, almost breaking down into tears when he realized just how many people were here for him. He shouted out Jelly Roll and wanted everyone to say a prayer, hoping all of theirs would be answered. Shaboozey says Jelly Roll, who collaborated with him on \u201cAmen,\u201d was the first person to bring him to Billy Bob\u2019s, a full-circle moment for us to see. \u201cI love y\u2019all so much, country music saved my life,\u201d Shaboozey says.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaboozey had a full band with him.<\/p>\n

After \u201cFinally Over\u201d and \u201cGood News,\u201d he brought out surprise guest Leon Bridges to do his Khruangbin collab \u201cTexas Sun.\u201d By the end, the temperature was getting hot, and more people crowded the main stage area. Shaboozey was all about safety first, stopping the show several times to ensure people were OK after a few passed out, and he told the rest of us to drink water.<\/p>\n

When it was time for one final round of drinks, Shaboozey commented that Billy Bob\u2019s was one of the three main places to perform as a country artist, the others being the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium, in no order, of course. However, everything is bigger in Texas, including our bragging rights. Shaboozey threw down one helluva party that he had to savor the moment before doing his last song.<\/p>\n

He poured himself a shot. He asked everyone to raise their drinks as he prepared us for \u201cA Bar Song (Tipsy).\u201d It was the maraschino cherry on top as everyone sang the song with their hearts out. Shaboozey couldn\u2019t help to take another swig of his whiskey and spit it out excitedly. As he exited, he told us how much he loved his \u201cfamily\u201d in Texas. <\/p>\n

Legends Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, George Strait and Loretta Lynn have played at Billy Bob\u2019s before, and Shaboozey falls in that lineage as a soon-to-be great among his peers. With a last shot of whiskey, he etched himself in history.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaboozey had a dominant night in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shaboozey at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. Elijah Smith The great American roadshow rolled through Fort Worth…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":293165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,89977,3988,7371,7372,14839,2136,358,132131,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-293164","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-concert-reviews","10":"tag-country-music","11":"tag-fort-worth","12":"tag-fortworth","13":"tag-hip-hop","14":"tag-photos","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-touring-artists","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115352450662327785","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}