Zach Bryan had strong words for Oklahoma after two sold-out shows: Here are the highlights

TULSA — Zach Bryan brought as much appreciation as he did music to downtown Tulsa Saturday night for his emotional, high-energy concert at the BOK Center.

Considering the rising country music superstar, who hails from Oologah, played more than 20 songs in almost two hours, that's saying quite a bit.

Performing the second of a two-night stand at the downtown arena, which he pointed out was only 20 minutes from his hometown, Bryan, 27, said a variation of "thank you" at least once per song during his impassioned headlining set.

"Two nights at the BOK Center is pretty crazy," Bryan told the fans after crooning his biggest hit to date, "Something in the Orange." "Thank you guys for making my dreams come true."

Even after thanking his fans so many times during the concert, the singer-songwriter took to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter soon after leaving the stage at 11:30 p.m. Saturday to reiterate his thankfulness, posting: "Tulsa that was the greatest honor of my life. Thank you to the BOKCenter and everyone that came to the shows, I love each and every one of you"

"You have made me who I am in the best of ways," he added in the post-show post. "Thank you Oklahoma."

His attitude of gratitude — coupled with many moments when he seemed genuinely awestruck by his loyal fans' nearly deafening devotion to singing every single lyric right back to him — only endeared Bryan even more to the hometown crowd who already adores him for his down-home authenticity, poignant and prolific songwriting and tireless live performances.

Here's what you need to know about Bryan's Tulsa stop on his "Burn Burn Burn North American Tour":

How many fans attended Zach Bryan's two-night Tulsa tour stop?

His biggest tour to date, the "Burn Burn Burn North American Tour" has seen Bryan headline some of the country's most popular arenas and amphitheaters coast-to-coast, as well as make high-profile festival appearances.

The itinerary initially included an Aug. 11 Tulsa stop at the BOK Center, and the second Aug. 12 show was added after tickets to the first quickly sold out.

The two nights brought more than 37,000 fans to the arena, according to a venue representative. Plus, fans packed the streets surrounding the BOK Center both nights for a free pre-show block party dubbed the "Oklahoma Smokeshow," after one of Bryan's most popular tunes.

On Thursday, the venue rep confirmed that Bryan had set a new record for highest total attendance for two nights by a single artist at the BOK Center, breaking the previous record set by country music icon George Strait.

Bryan also set a new mark for the Tulsa arena for highest grossing total food and beverage sales for a single event, shattering the record previously held by country star Eric Church on Aug. 11 and then surpassing his own newly set record on Aug. 12.

Plus, the fast-rising hitmaker eclipsed Metallica's previous BOK Center record for highest grossing single night of merchandise sales by any artist or event on Aug. 11 — and promptly broke his own record Aug. 12 on that front, too.

"We are thrilled to witness these records being surpassed at BOK Center. The energy and excitement that Zach Bryan brought to our stage were truly electrifying, and we are immensely grateful for his dedication to delivering outstanding performances," said Bryan Crowe, BOK Center vice president and general manager, in a statement.

"We also want to thank the Tulsa community and the ticket purchasers for such great support helping us welcome Zach Bryan home."

As they have done in recent years with music icons like Garth Brooks, venue staffers also cleverly referenced Bryan's song titles by temporarily changing street signs around the BOK Center to the likes of "Oklahoma Smokeshow Rd." and "Motorcycle Drive (By)."

How does Zach Bryan's 'Burn Burn Burn' tour channel Red Dirt music and George Strait?

Given his Oklahoma roots — he was born in Okinawa, Japan, while his family was stationed overseas with the Navy but raised in the small town of Oologah — it isn't surprising that Bryan's music has a distinctive Red Dirt vibe. It goes well beyond his outspoken affinity for The Turnpike Troubadours, although he and his band did take the stage Saturday night to the tune of "The Bird Hunters."

A viral YouTube star turned major-label recording artist, Bryan's sound mixes country, rock and Americana with an earthy authenticity and blue-collar ethos. The Navy veteran's music is rooted in vivid, original songcraft and has blossomed with his fiercely independent spirit, his ferociously faithful fan base and his road-warrior approach to his live shows. Those are all hallmarks of Oklahoma's Red Dirt music.

Although his "Burn Burn Burn" tour boasts brawny lights and giant screens, it isn't much for other frills like pyrotechnics or video effects. Bryan and his large band perform in the round on a massive stage situated in the middle of the arena floor. The in-the-round setup reminded me of Strait's touring days, as the King of Country Music would systematically stop at the microphones situated at both sides and both ends of his stage to strum and sing a few songs at each position before rotating to the next.

Continually playing one of his guitars, Bryan likewise revolved through the four mic setups on his stage. But the up-and-coming star amped up the energy, making a full revolution with practically every song and relishing opportunities to rock out with his talented bandmates.

What songs did Zach Bryan play during Saturday's Tulsa arena show?

Wearing dark jeans and a Bruce Springsteen T-shirt with the sleeves cut off to reveal his tattoos, Bryan didn't hestitate to get Saturday night's show off to a rowdy start with his rodeo anthem "Open the Gate."

Although fans unabashedly wailing along is standard concert behavior, the Grammy nominee seemed happily taken aback by just how loud and proud his home-state crowd was to help out on vocals.

"Hey, so, I think music is about the most beautiful thing in the entire world. It brought us all here to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be at the BOK Center tonight. And this next chorus is for you guys," he said during the second song, the twangy ballad "God Speed"

Similarly, he stepped back from the microphone and let the fans finish off the broken-hearted ode "Condemned," and even told the ardent audience, "I trust ya," and let them croon the first chorus of his record-setting hit "Something in the Orange," which recently became the longest charting country single for a male artist on Billboard’s Hot 100 with a remarkable 65 consecutive weeks.

"All right, Tulsa, you got one more in you?" he asked, leading the fervent fans through another chorus on "Heavy Eyes."

While much has been made of his songwriting skills, Bryan's vocal aptitude and stage presence shine when he's performing live and in person. That was particularly true as he growled through "Quittin' Time," which also featured a fiery fiddle and banjo duel.

Bryan proved his prowess at penning gut-punching songs about loss with the hard-hitting combo of "Heading South," "'68 Fastback" and "Man That's Never Known You." Along with fan favorites like "Oklahoma Smokeshow" and hits like the torch song "Dawns," he spotlighted a new tune, thought to be titled "Oklahoman Son," that is expected to be on his upcoming self-titled album, due out Aug. 25.

How did Zach Bryan pay homage to Oklahoma at Saturday's show?

Judging by the license plates in the parking lots and the chatter on the arena concourses, Bryan's Tulsa gigs brought in fans from far and wide. But many of the attendees were his fellow Oklahomans.

Every concertgoer is familiar with the well-worn strategy of touring acts slipping the name of the city or state of the evening into their lyrics to get a big cheer. While Bryan occasionally engaged in the time-honored tradition, truthfully, he didn't really need to, since his songwriting already frequently references Oklahoma.

The songsmith rolled out "Oklahoma City," which also references Norman and Stillwater, early in Saturday's set, and like the vast majority of his songs, it became an instant sing-along.

He described "Tishomingo" as a song about coming home and quipped, "I hope you don't hate it." It's safe to say the audience did not. (Although it's hard to choose my favorite Bryan lyrics, considering the sheer number of songs he has written, "Tishomingo" still includes one of my favorite samples of his canny wordplay, as he rhymes the name of the Johnston County seat with the poetic phrase "wonder where good men's dreams go.") 

But the Oologah songsmith also referenced Goose Island near his hometown in "Doing Fine" and plainly stated that he belonged in "Oklahoma in the summer times" on "All the Time."

How did Zach Bryan pay tribute to his late mother at Saturday's show?

Bryan's mother, Oklahoma native Annette DeAnn Bryan, died in 2016 at age 49, and he paid emotional homage to her at Saturday night's hometown area show.

"So, I wrote an album ... called 'DeAnn,' it changed my life forever. That started like four years ago. Now, I'm standing in front of you guys at the BOK Center," he said from the stage.

"I named it after my mom, we'd been to concerts here together, so it's super weird to be on the other end of it."

As he crooned "Sweet DeAnn" in his mother's memory, the fans used their cellphones to light up the BOK Center.

Who joined Zach Bryan onstage for Saturday's encore?

The longing for small-town simplicity and the comforts of home made the tour's title theme "Burn Burn Burn" a particularly powerful closer.

Although Bryan and his cohorts then exited the stage, most everyone else refused to leave. Instead, they screamed their demands for more music, until the singer-songwriter returned to take them to church with his raucous "Revival." Between the band members showing off their musicianship and the joyous energy infusing the arena, it was the best encore I've seen in a minute.

During the almost 15-minute boot-stomping finale, Bryan and his bandmates were joined onstage by Bryan's father, Dewayne Bryan, and other family members, opening act Charles Wesley Godwin (the tour's other opener, Tulsan J.R. Carroll, is part of Bryan's band, so he was out on the stage most of the night) and Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy.

"We're leaving Tulsa tomorrow. I want to remember you guys forever," Bryan told the Tulsa crowd Saturday night.

The rising star certainly did his part to make the night memorable.

What songs made the set list for Zach Bryan's Saturday Tulsa show?

Here is the set list for Zach Bryan's Aug. 12 "Burn Burn Burn North American Tour" stop Tulsa's BOK Center: 

"Open the Gate"

"God Speed"

"Fifth of May"

"Oklahoma City"

"Highway Boys"

"Quittin' Time"

"Doing Fine"

"Tishomingo"

"Dawns"

"Sweet DeAnn"

"Oklahoma Smokeshow"

"The Good I'll Do"

"Something in the Orange"

"Heavy Eyes"

"Snow"

"Condemned"

"All the Time"

"Heading South"

"'68 Fastback"

"Man That's Never Known You"

New song, believed to be titled "Oklahoman Son" (from his upcoming self-titled album)

"Burn, Burn, Burn"

Encore:

"Revival" (featuring opening act Charles Wesley Godwin, Bryan's family and Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Zach Bryan played two sold out Tulsa shows; see the set list