Zach Bryan Drives the Crowd Wild in San Diego, CA

Zach Bryan ended 2023 with a bang!

Wild Horses Festival, hosted by Outriders West, took place on Saturday, December 30th at Petco Park in San Diego California, and featured The Silent Comedy, Sierra Ferrell, Trampled By Turtles, and headliner Zach Bryan.

A Navy-officer turned country music superstar was the perfect fit for this military town’s final concert of 2023. 

Zach Bryan headlined Wild Horses Fest at San Diego’s Petco Park on Dec. 30, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of thousands of eager fans. The sold-out festival also featured bluegrass veterans Trampled By Turtles, Sierra Ferrell and The Silent Comedy. 

The festival was put on by Outrides. The organization also hosts the San Diego Rodeo in January and Montana’s Under The Big Sky Festival in July. 

The performance closed out a record year for Bryan. In May, he received the Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year and in August his self-titled album released at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. 

Byran skyrocketed into fame in 2017 after an iPhone video of his original song “Heading South” went viral. At the time, the Oklahoma-native was serving in the Navy, following in the footsteps of both of his parents. But his star power was soon undeniable. He was honorably discharged in 2019 to pursue a music career and it has seen success after success ever since.  

From Petco Park’s outfield, Bryan fittingly opened the show with “Open the Gate” before transitioning into the upbeat “God’s Speed” to get the crowd on their feet. An encore performance of “Revival” closed out the night. 

In a final closing moment for the year, TikTok videos showed Bryan participate in a makeshift graduation ceremony backstage at Petco Park. He completed a bachelor’s degree earlier this year. “Just a promise I made to my mom a while back,” he tweeted.