Nothing fills Wisconsinites’ heart with more pride than hearing state songs … about Texas.
At least that was the case at Cody Johnson’s Milwaukee concert at Fiserv Forum Friday. As the lights dimmed, the sound system blasted snippets of Texas-related tunes, including George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Sure enough, people in the crowd did the four quick claps for the latter.
And then Johnson came out with the six members of his backing band the CJB — all of them Texans — to play a Johnson original, “That’s Texas,” that could end up being another Lone Star State-loving classic someday.
“That’s Texas, home of George Strait the king/Ain’t no such thing as chili with beans,” Johnson sang with big yeehaw energy Friday. (I’m dying to know what Johnson would think of a bowl of red from Milwaukee gem Real Chili, but I digress.)
And as the CJB played the kickoff of Friday’s 21-song, 100-minute set, Johnson recalled the country concert king from neighboring Oklahoma, Garth Brooks — excitedly running around the stage, smashing the cymbals at the drum set with a stick, and ripping open his button-up shirt to show off the large Texas tattoo on his chest.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
It was clear Friday that Johnson wouldn’t want to start his Milwaukee concert any other way. And doing things his way is what Johnson is all about.
Earlier in his career, which started nearly 20 years ago, Johnson Friday said he was told that operating in his style of country music, he wouldn’t be more than a Texan act, that Nashville had moved on from cowboy hat-wearing artists like him.
And yet here he was, two months removed from winning the award for album of the year at the Country Music Association Awards for his 2023 album “Leather,” performing for a sold-out crowd of about 13,000 people at Fiserv Forum — many of them, like Johnson, also wearing cowboy hats. (Impressively, this was actually the second capacity country music concert at the Bucks arena within the past week, rare for Milwaukee in January, following Kelsea Ballerini’s show Jan. 25.)
Johnson credited hard work and God for getting him to this position, but certainly shifting winds in Nashville helped make his success possible.
Listening to “Nothin’ On You” Friday from 2019 album “Ain’t Nothin’ to It,” you practically could draw a straight line connecting Johnson’s soulful-retro love ballad back to Chris Stapleton’s game-changing album “Traveller” that came out in 2015 — right down to Johnson’s shake-’em-in-the-cheap-seats vocals.
But Johnson sure sold the moment Friday with a cheeky butt shake, some playful shoulder shimmies and, most of all, a remarkably rich vocal range. Johnson’s sturdy singing voice was apparent all night, largely via his twangy, husky baritone —- but the falsetto he unleashed for the song’s finale was a showstopper, even more impressive than on the recording. It’s a vocal range he should consider using more often, although true to form, Johnson may not be interested in taking advice.
And that seems to be working just fine for him.
Beyond hard work, more favorable market conditions and undisputed musical talent, what’s made Johnson such a big star in a mainstream country music industry that might have seemed to move on from guys like him is a stirring catalog of story songs in the vein of his hero Strait — and worthy of comparisons to the King.
Take “The Painter,” the lead single from his CMA album of the year winner, a highlight of the evening that featured Johnson sweetly strumming a dobro, imploring his fans to “kiss somebody you love tonight,” and triggering tender singalongs with smitten lines like “With every wall I built, she saw a canvas/I thank God every day for how He made her/My life was black and white but she’s the painter.”
And then there were songs like “Made in the USA” and “Human” that strive for unity and empathy, and they certainly achieved it Friday. In the former, Johnson praised his homeland with sentiments that span political spectrums, praising America as a place where “We can pray where we wanna pray/Love who we wanna love.” For “Human,” the title track of his 2021 album, he movingly looked at his failings as a man accustomed to burning bridges, striving and struggling to be better — a sentiment that clearly resonated with Friday’s crowd, most apparent during a poignant climax with Johnson singing alone while on acoustic guitar.
And for the most charged performance of the night, “‘Til You Can’t,” also from “Human,” Johnson again busted out the Garth Brooks-style bombast, passionately imploring the packed house to chase their dreams, take risks and treasure their loved ones while they can.
Johnson clearly embraced that song’s carpe diem mantra Friday. But it’s a safe bet, as a bona fide country music star after a long journey staying true to his convictions, that Johnson will be seizing the day, and ruling big stages, for years to come.
Ashley McBryde and Drew Baldridge opened for Cody Johnson at Fiserv Forum
Ashley McBryde first played Fiserv Forum opening for Miranda Lambert in 2019 — a month before winning best new artist at the CMA Awards (where she actually beat out Johnson). Friday, she brought a bit more arena-ready polish to her 45-minute opening set. On set closer “Tired of Being Happy,” she did a synchronized spin with her guitarist and finish up with some show-stopping belting. And McBryde really milked the comedy for the cheeky “Brenda Put Your Bra On,” tossing a bra into the pit and putting on an oversized red bra that covered her torso. But McBryde’s main selling point live remains smart and strong country songwriting, including the unapologetic title track from her 2023 album “The Devil I Know” that saw McBryde lean a little more into rock — territory, Friday’s set suggested, she should continue exploring.
Friday marked one of Illinois native Drew Baldridge’s first shows ever in an arena. Playing the evening’s first set, the country up-and-comer showed he’s ready for big stages, squeezing in a lot of show into his 25 minutes, including a crowd-pleasing ‘90s country medley of Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and Brooks & Dunn hits; a heartfelt midsong salute to veterans during “Tough People”; and a quick autograph session for fans in the pit as his band played him off. But more than anything else, it was the passion and earnestness Baldridge brought to big-message songs like “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” and “Rebel” (a yet-to-be-released ode to righteousness Baldridge recently teased on social media) that made this vast room a fine fit.
4 takeaways from Cody Johnson’s Milwaukee concert, including his political speech
- Ahead of a cover of “God Bless America,” Johnson took a few minutes to acknowledge law enforcement, firefighters, first responders, EMS, nurses, and active and retired military members, getting cheers from the crowd for the recognition before Johnson encouraged fans to get on their feet in their honor. And then he gave a short political speech. “I feel like we’re on the verge of something very great in the United States of America,” Johnson said. “I feel like that this time around I have seen a lot less division. … About four years ago, I watched this country divide itself on everything you could possibly divide yourself on. I don’t know if you all watch the news, but they tried to divide us over vaccines, over masks, over race, over religion, over political affiliation. Why? What they wanted you to believe is that if you and I believe different we should hate each other. … Well, I got news for you. In this country, we have the right to disagree because men and women sacrificed their lives for us to disagree. … There’s three things we all have in common at the end of the day: They’re red, white and blue.”
- In addition to reminiscing about the early days of his career selling $5 CDs from his tailgate at rodeos, Johnson reflected on past Milwaukee concerts at the Rave and, before that, Turner Hall Ballroom, where he performed for about 500 people and was thrown off by the venue’s bouncing floor.
- It appeared before Johnson left the stage ahead of the encore that one of his daughters, Clara Mae or Corri (it was hard to tell which one from my seat) came up on stage to hand her dad drumsticks and other things to toss into the pit. In return, Johnson gave her a fist bump and I could see the two of them holding hands as they made their way down the steps from the stage after Johnson autographed scores of hats, boots and other items for fans in the pit.
- When Johnson came back up for the encore, he tripped on one of the steps. I saw a roadie check out the staircase to make sure a step wasn’t loose. It was sturdy enough for Johnson to make his exit at the end of the set (with a brief pause for caution), and the slight fall didn’t prevent him from jumping and stomping through the night’s final number, a cover of Charlie Daniels Band’s “Long Haired Country Boy.”
Cody Johnson’s Fiserv Forum setlist
- “That’s Texas”
- “Me and My Kind”
- “Dance Her Home”
- “How Do You Sleep at Night?”
- “With You I Am”
- “Dear Rodeo”
- “Nothin’ On You”
- “Take It Like a Man”
- “Human”
- “Georgia Peaches”
- “The Fall”
- “People in the Back”
- “I’m Gonna Love You”
- “God Bless America”
- “Made in the USA”
- “Dirt Cheap”
- “The Painter”
- “‘Til You Can’t”
- “Travelin’ Soldier” (The Chicks cover)
- “Long Haired Country Boy” (Charlie Daniels cover)
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
