Zach Top Captivates Sold-Out Chicago Crowd With Talent and Charm

Zach Top is a relatively new name in the country music scene, but he’s already making a major impact with his traditional country sound and charming persona.  For his first-ever headlining gig at Chicago’s famed Joe’s On Weed St. on Thursday evening (July 18), the emerging artist added yet another sold-out show to his resume and undoubtedly left his mark on the Windy City. 

Before he stepped on stage in front of a room full of screaming fans, Top sat down with Country Now to reflect on the whirlwind of a year he’s had so far. 

“It feels like a switch flipped in the spring,” he explained. “Up until then we’re booking 300 cap rooms and were like, if we get 150 people in here, it’ll feel great. We’ll have a fun time. Then, we’re starting to see, you know, we’ve been playing three weeks straight of sold-out shows now… it’s like, s**t, people are paying attention now. So it’s fun.”

A big part of that switch he experienced was the breakout success of his debut single, “Sounds Like The Radio,” which he performed as the opening song of the night in Chicago. This song exemplifies his mission to revive the spirit of the musical icons he grew up listening to, from the ’90s country music era and beyond. He did just that and more throughout the nearly two-hour show by offering a mix of stand-out tracks from his debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, as well as a slew of covers of some of his musical heroes. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Country Now (@countrynow)

“Thank y’all for making us feel welcome. It’s the first time playing our own show in Chicago, and we just love you for selling this place out. I’ve been so excited for this for a long time,” he told the crowd at the top of the evening. To further set the tone, he continued, “I’m gonna sing you a bunch of songs I made up over the next little bit, maybe a couple that I didn’t. Hopefully in there somewhere there’s something that you like.” 

Throughout the night, Top evoked massive sing-alongs with classics including “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” by Merle Haggard, “Good Directions” by Billy Currington, “Pickup Man” by Joe Diffie, “Nobody To Blame,” by Chris Stapleton, “Sold” by John Michael Montgomery,” and more. 

While fans were excited to hear these well-known tracks, it was his own cuts like “Things To Do,” “Dirt Turns To Gold,” “The Kinda Woman I Like” and “Just Jonesin’” that really brought the energy up in the house and had everyone singing at the top of their lungs.  

His originals blended so seamlessly into the 27-song setlist, that it was almost impossible to tell what was a classic cover and what was his own release. Of course, starting the night with “Sounds Like The Radio” and ending on the album’s title track were major highlights, but its safe to say between his witty banter, his lively band, and epic setlist, there was never a dull moment on the ACM award-winning stage. 

In addition to the high-energy tunes that are easy to tap your feet to, Top also admitted that there are certain songs off this project that he didn’t expect to become as highly requested at his shows but are now nightly staples. “I Never Lie” and “Use Me” are two slower-tempo stories of the heart that have both become favorites within his live sets.

“’I Never Lie’ has been the one that’s popped off from the record. From the minute we wrote it, I’ve loved that thing. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve been a part of writing, but I wouldn’t have expected that to be the one that just blew up off the album. So that’s fun to me that one of my favorites that I thought would be a little more of an album track is like, people love this thing…the fact that people are screaming that thing back to us like it’s an anthem when we kick that song off, it’s so fun.”

Other memorable moments include Top’s bandmate Cheyenne taking over the mic to sing her rendition of Sara Evans’ “Suds In The Bucket,” seeing every fan put their flashlights up for the his soulful delivery of “There’s The Sun,” and witnessing Top flash a bright smile at the very end of the show, as he took in the number of supporters he had in one room. 

“You look beautiful, you sound beautiful,” Top told his fans. 

It’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, the Sunnyside, Washington native was working construction in Colorado, dreaming of becoming the next George Strait, Merle Haggard, or Keith Whitley, and now fans are lining up to hear him perform his very own songs night after night. 

“I’ve been in Nashville just a little over three years full time now, and before that I was out there swinging a hammer in Colorado, very different. Seems like a lifetime ago,” he shared. “I’m just beyond thankful that people are enjoying these stupid little songs I’m making up…It’s like, I’m making these things up and you guys like them good enough to learn them and come out and scream them back to me every night at shows. It’s crazy. I’m so thankful and just feel really blessed to know that even if this is as far as it goes, I’ve made it a lot further than I thought I would.”

This performance further demonstrated that he is a top-notch triple threat, showcasing his exceptional talent as a singer, entertainer, and skilled musician who can captivate his audience all night long.

Even though he is still on a high from releasing the Cold Beer & Country Music album, Top says he’s already thinking of what’s next. He teased that this August, he will be dropping another single from the project. While Top couldn’t reveal which track it is, he hinted that it has been a fan-favorite in his recent stint of live shows.

Throughout his show, the rising star repeatedly expressed his joy at seeing such an enthusiastic crowd gathered for him and his band. Chicago will surely go down as a memorable stop in his long list of tour dates this year. 

Zach Top has plenty more appearances coming up, including a fair share of festival dates. Plus, he will return to the road with Lainey Wilson this fall as an opening act on her Country’s Cool Again Tour. For his full list of upcoming dates, visit Top’s official website.