Last night was arguably one of Cody Johnson’s biggest career wins as he accomplished one of his ultimate goals of topping the Houston Rodeo’s attendance record.
The Texas native’s been vocal in the past on numerous occasions that he’s always dreamt of beating George Strait’s 2019 record of 80,108 fans present at his March show. Sure enough, 7 years later, Johnson has now surpassed the king, thanks to a whopping 80,203 fans in attendance.
With the night ushered in by supporting acts Jon Pardi and Randy Houser, the “Dear Rodeo” singer also had a few surprise appearances up his sleeve for this grand audience. Mid-show, wedged between a performance of “People in the Back” and followed up by “God Bless America,” Johnson brought out no other than eight-time Grammy award winner Carrie Underwood.
Joining forces for an epic live rendition of their September 2024 romantic chart topper, “I’m Gonna Love You,” the duet absolutely stole the show. While Underwood’s backing-track vocals have joined Johnson on stage during his solo performances at the show in the past, their in-person harmonies are the definition of vocal chemistry.
Later in the night, the crowd was also gifted a surprise cameo from Carín León for their March 2025 Spanish Country fusion track, “She Hurts Like Tequila.” Johnson rounded out the night with a heavy Texas-themed encore, including his fan favorite cover of “Travelin’ Soldier,” followed by “Blame Texas,” “Texas Kinda Way,” and “That’s Texas.”
While Johnson may have been the rodeo’s closing act this year, following a string of amazing shows from artists like Koe Wetzel, Megan Moroney, Luke Bryan, and more, this event is just another notch in Johnson’s belt for a packed summer ahead. With promises of new music on the way for 2026, CoJo will also continue out on his Live ’26 tour, including an exciting headlining stop at Stage Coach coming up on April 24.
Tour Dates:
- March 27 – Baltimore, MD
- March 28 – Houston, TX
- April 4 – Little Rock, AR
- April 18 – St. Louis, MO
- April 24 – Indianapolis, IN
- May 2 – Clemson, SC
- May 8 – Sioux Falls, SD
- May 9 – Des Moines, IA
- May 29 – Grand Rapids, MI
- May 30 – Rosemont, IL
- June 26 – Milwaukee, WI
- July 11 – Cavendish, PE
- July 17–18 – Columbus, OH
- July 25 – Jacksonville, FL
- Aug. 8 – Oklahoma City, OK
- Aug. 22 – Knoxville, TN
- Aug. 29 – Saint Paul, MN
- Sept. 12 – Tacoma, WA