Cody Johnson brought out his Louisiana best for his headlining show at the Hondo Rodeo Fest over the weekend.
Paying homage to the New Orleans crowd on Saturday night (April 11), Johnson shook the stadium with a stellar cover of the Band of Heathens’ 2011 track, “Hurricane.” Originally recorded in 1980 by Levon Helm, the track has seen a few iterations, with it being released the following year in 1981 by country singer Leon Everette, who took the track to Number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart. Newcomer country sister trio, The Castellows, also featured a cover on their debut EP, and Johnson fans are now begging him to do the same after this live rendition.
It’s just a basic fact of life at this point that CoJo can do no wrong when it comes to a cover. Sure, there’s always going to be the controversy of comparing the original tracks to the renditions, but from “Travelin’ Soldier” to “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Double)” and now his most recently released Merle Haggard tribute, “Footlights,” Johnson knows how to put his own spin on things.
With his heavy Texas vocals echoing throughout the Caesars Superdome and the accompaniment of an electrifying guitar solo, this version of the song set in the New Orleans French Quarter is no exception to Johnson’s track record. The comments echoed this, with fans praising the performance:
Last night also marked Johnson’s return to the Hondo Rodeo Fest after being forced to cancel last year’s November 2025 Hondo Rodeo Fest appearance, given his unexpected ruptured eardrum. While this stellar cover is most likely a one-time thing, given the location of the show, this is only the beginning of tour-surprises to come throughout the summer, as well as promised new music throughout 2026.
Johnson will continue out on his Live ’26 tour as well as take on a new feat in a couple of weeks, headlining Friday night at Stagecoach, which is bound to be a standout show. Joined on the road by a heavy lineup of supporting acts including Clint Black, Randy Houser, Parker McCollum, Scotty McCreery, Kip Moore, Ian Munsick, and more, Johnson will round out the worldwide tour on November 5 in Dublin.