As success stories in the music industry go, they don't get much bigger and quicker than Zach Bryan.
As egos and production go among arena-sized acts, though, they don't get much smaller than the Oklahoma country music picker's — a point hit home by his aw-shucks humble but awesomely high-spirited concert Wednesday night at Target Center.
After finishing up his eight-year stint in the U.S. Navy less than two years ago, the 27-year-old yokel jumped from no-name status to arena-headlining status in the amount of time it took Jason Aldean to hire a fleet of professional songwriters to pen his latest record.
Wednesday's Target Center gig — fully sold-out, to the tune of almost 20,000 people — was only Bryan's third gig in town in under two years, counting the Fillmore in November 2021 and last year's sold-out Surly Brewing outdoor show. At this rate, his next Twin Cities gigs will have to be at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2024 and then a runway at MSP International in 2025 to maintain the same incremental size increase.
Almost as impressive as his fast ascent, though, was how well Bryan maintained an intimate vibe and ultra-personal tone in Wednesday's supersized concert.
"Here's a song called 'Open the Gate.' Hope you don't hate it," he said as he took the stage, the first in a long line of self-deprecating comments that suggested he's as surprised as anyone by his rapid rise.
Performing on an in-the-round stage at the center of the arena, Bryan continually worked his way around it from song to song as if to make each section feel equally included. The visibly ecstatic and rowdy fans on the general admission floor around the stage became part of the show.
This wasn't a Def Leppard kind of in-the-round stage, though. Aside from a large video screen and backyard-style string lights overhead, the production was remarkably sparse. Bryan and his smoking seven-piece band certainly didn't look very fancy, either. The show's entire stage wardrobe probably could've been bought at a Dollar General.