02/01/2026
As the countdown to 2026 loomed over Nashville's packed Lower Broadway, a surge of raw, unfiltered country energy ripped through Music City Bar and Grill when Zach Top—the breakout traditionalist who exploded onto the scene in 2025—grabbed the mic for his New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash set, instantly transforming the room into a rowdy whirlwind of stomping boots, raised drinks, and thunderous cheers.
The 2025 ACM New Male Artist of the Year, fresh off headlining slots and opening for giants like Lainey Wilson and Dierks Bentley, unleashed hits like the defiant “I Never Lie” with his signature neotraditional twang and high-octane fiddle fire, delighting the live crowd and millions tuning in on CBS while headliners Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman held court at Bicentennial Park. Fans erupted in festive frenzy, singing every word as Top's gritty vocals and band-driven sound cut through the midnight air like a honky-tonk revival.
Yet amid the joy, a spark of debate flickers: In a lineup stacked with pop-leaning crossovers and massive productions, does Top's uncompromising throwback style—echoing Haggard and Strait—represent the fierce guard of country's roots, or risk getting drowned in the genre's ever-widening mainstream tide? As his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour gears up for a 2026 European leap, one electrifying question hangs: Can this rising force keep the rowdy traditional flame burning brighter than ever?
Full details below👇👇