Not Your Grandpappy's Rodeo. Not Your Father's Country Band.

If you've ever yelled "HANG ON!" at a TV during bull riding, two-stepped in a Schnuck's parking lot, or bought boots "just for one event" and now own four pairs, clear your calendar. Like, right now.

Bulls, Bands & Barrels comes bucking into the Ford Center on Saturday, January 9, 2027. Bull riding. Barrel racing. Freestyle bullfighting. Then a full concert from Ole 60 and Cigarettes @ Sunset. One ticket, one night, one very dusty downtown Evansville.

Oh, and we've got a pair of tickets to give away before they even go on sale. Let's get into it.

Meet the Bands (and the Bulls)

Bulls, Bands & Barrels has been smashing western sports and live country into one loud, fast night since 2013. Past BBB stages have hosted Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Koe Wetzel and Riley Green, which is a pretty stacked resume for an event that also features livestock. It rolled into the Ford Center last January with BigXThaPlug and Tyler Nance. Now it's back, and it's being billed as the biggest one yet.

Two childhood buddies, Jacob Ty Young and Tristan Roby, started jamming in a backyard shed in Hawesville, Kentucky. They named the band after the road Jacob drove to Tristan's house. (Most Kentucky origin story ever? Most Kentucky origin story ever.)

Then things got wild. Their debut EP Three Twenty Four hit #1 on Apple Music's country albums chart, passing Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan on the way up. "smoke & a light" topped Spotify's U.S. Viral 50 and went Platinum. They made their Grand Ole Opry debut in January 2025, picked up two People's Choice Country Awards nominations, and dropped their full-length Smokestack Town last fall. The sound? Country, southern rock, Appalachian folk and a healthy dose of '90s grunge, all in one truck. This month they're playing London, Dublin and Belfast. In January they're playing a dirt floor in Evansville. Range.

This five-piece out of Boone, North Carolina invented their own genre and named it Possum Rock. It's Americana, indie rock and Appalachian folk tossed together with a fiddle and zero chill. They self-booked 100+ shows in 2024, signed with Lost Highway Records, released the Possum Rock EP this spring, and spent 2026 touring with Rainbow Kitten Surprise, flying to Australia's Strummingbird Festival, and opening for (you guessed it) Ole 60. Cue up "Gasoline" before the show. It's a breakup song that sounds like a truck on fire, in the best way.

• Four events, one ticket. Bull riding, barrel racing, bullfighting and a concert. That's a whole weekend crammed into one Saturday.
• Two bands on the way up. Catch them in an arena now so you can say "I saw them when" later.
• The whole family can come. It's family-friendly, so the kids get bulls and you get a cold one. Everybody wins.
• January needs this. Nothing cures post-holiday blahs like a bull the size of a Honda Civic trying to launch a grown man into orbit.

What You Need to Know Before You Saddle Up

• Bull riding: Stay on a bucking bull for eight seconds. Sounds short. It is not.
• Barrel racing: Horse and rider tear around three barrels chasing the fastest time. Blink and you'll miss a run.
• Freestyle bullfighting: No ropes. No protection. Just a human and a bull having a very serious disagreement.
• Live concert: Ole 60 and Cigarettes @ Sunset close out the night.

• Behind the Chutes: Best seats in the house, an athlete Q&A, reserved concert pit access, private bar, a drink ticket, $20 off BBB merch and a souvenir VIP laminate.
• Pit Pass (add-on): Reserved standing pit right in front of the stage through a VIP entrance, plus private bar access, a drink ticket and the laminate.

Ole 60 Is Basically a Hometown Band

Hawesville sits right on the Ohio River in Hancock County, Kentucky, about an hour upriver from downtown Evansville. These guys are Tri-State through and through.

And the river towns already know it. Back in 2024, Ole 60 played Owensboro's Friday After 5 and broke the event's 28-year attendance record. So go ahead and expect Hawesville, Owensboro, Henderson and Newburgh to all come pouring over the bridges on January 9. The group chat already knows.

A few Ford Center ground rules before you show up:

• Small bags only. Anything bigger than 12" x 6" x 12" isn't getting in, and every bag gets searched.
• Phones are fine. Professional cameras, detachable or long lenses and tripods are a no.
• No dress code. But jeans, boots and a hat are the unofficial uniform. Now's the time to dig out that Christmas flannel.
• Concessions and adult beverages are available inside.
• Autographs, maybe. Select athletes may be around to sign, depending on availability.
• Parking: City garages on Third St. and Sycamore St. are a short walk, and the big lot behind the Civic Center is right next door. Doors are at 5, so get there early and skip the scramble.

Make it a full night: dinner downtown before doors, then a nightcap on Main Street or over at Haynie's Corner while you argue about who rode best. Need ideas? Our Complete Guide to Downtown Evansville has you covered.

Win Before You Can Buy

The Ford Center hooked us up with a pair of tickets to Bulls, Bands & Barrels, and we're passing them to one lucky Buzz reader. Here's how to get in on it:

• Enter: Find our giveaway post on the Evansville Buzz Facebook page and comment who you'd take with you.
• Bonus entry: Be signed up for the Evansville Buzz newsletter. (Not yet? Fixable in about 10 seconds.)
• Entries close: Tuesday, Nov. 10
• Winner announced: Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 5 PM

Choose your plus-one wisely. Whoever you tag is going to remember it forever (and so is whoever you didn't).

Eight Seconds, Evansville

In bull riding, eight seconds is the whole ballgame. Hang on that long and you score. Let go early and you're eating arena dirt in front of the entire Tri-State. Ticket presales work the exact same way. The gate swings open Thursday at 10 AM, things get bucky fast, and the folks who already have a grip on the rope are the ones still standing when the dust settles. So enter the giveaway, sign up for presale, and wrap your hand tight before the chute opens.

Grab the rope. Squeeze tight. Don't you dare let go.

Get the best of Evansville in your inbox every week (and score that bonus giveaway entry). Send this to the friend who already owns the boots.