The 2024 Houston Rodeo barreled on — despite inclement weather — with a record-setting performance from superstar pop act the Jonas Brothers on Friday night (March 15.)
According to a statement issued by the rodeo on social media, the Jonas Brothers set a new paid attendance record for Houston, Texas’ NRG Park, packing in a whopping 75,600 concertgoers to see their show.
Local CBS affiliate KHOU 11 reports that that record was previously held by Los Tigres del Norte, who sold 75,595 tickets to their show on Go Tejano Day earlier in the 2024 Houston Rodeo. The Jonas Brothers’ five extra tickets sent them over the edge on that record.
The rodeo enlists star performers from a diverse crop of genres every year — including those who, like the Jonas Brothers, hail from pop royalty — but it’s no secret that country fans have an especially strong foothold at the event.
So the trio tipped their hats to the country crowd, literally: Two out of three Jonas Brothers donned traditional cowboy hats as they covered Garth Brooks‘ “Friends in Low Places” during their time onstage.
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Brooks’ epic early-’90s sing-a-long got a fitting treatment at the rodeo in the Jonas Brothers’ hands, especially since all 75,600 fans in the crowd appeared to be singing and roaring along throughout the performance.
Their Brooks tribute was the only cover during a set that proved the Jonas Brothers had no trouble captivating fans on the strength of their own material alone. The band, who last played the rodeo in 2009, performed a career-sweeping set that included early hits like “Year 3000” and “S.O.S.” alongside newer material like “Waffle House” and “Celebrate!”
They’re no strangers to country, though the JoBros have typically associated more with modern and pop-country than they have with throwback classics. They have toured and performed with Kelsea Ballerini, including playing a duet at the 2016 ACM Awards. They also recently duetted with Bailey Zimmerman.
35 Songs That Prove Country and Rock Music Go Hand in Hand
With Dolly Parton’s recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the country and rock genres are closer than ever before — but she’s far from the first country artist to venture into rock territory, or vice versa. Here are 35 songs that show just how great the musical crossover between country and rock can be.