20 concerts not to miss in Las Vegas during NFR

He doesn’t need to talk, nor does he need a shrink. He doesn’t need to dance, or hear what you think. So, Zach Top, what do you need to keep from losing it?

“Cold beer and country music.”

The honky-tonk throwback announces as much in the song of the same name, which also serves as the title of Top’s 2024 gold-selling debut and his current tour. With his bluegrass-informed swing, bourbon-smooth voice and misty-eyed ballads about bad luck and broken hearts, Top is the new face of country’s old school.

And he’s shooting to stardom: After playing Brooklyn Bowl during last year’s National Finals Rodeo, this go-round, Top is headlining the MGM Grand Garden on Dec. 12. His return is among the highlights of a loaded lineup of shows during NFR — after a record 116 acts performed during the event in 2024, this year’s roster should approach that number as well.

Hot tickets

Sam Barber, The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Dec. 3

Just how quickly has 22-year-old singer-songwriter Sam Barber shot to burgeoning country music stardom over the past few years? Just three months after playing his first headlining gig, he was already performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Now he’s debuting at another country music institution: NFR.

Tim McGraw, Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Dec. 4, 6, 12 and 13

A longtime fan, Tim McGraw brought the first-ever rodeo to Nashville, Tennessee, with the inaugural Music City Rodeo in May. And now for another first: McGraw will make his NFR solo debut this year after playing here with his wife, Faith Hill, during the 2012 event.

Ned LeDoux, Veil at Silverton, Dec. 4-5

The son of late country music legend Chris LeDoux began playing drums in his father’s road band, Western Underground, in 1998. Now he’s a headliner in his own right, known for blending his country roots with rock ’n’ roll. And for the seventh year in a row, his shows are free.

Brad Paisley, Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, Dec. 4-5

An ace guitar player with a wry sense of humor, Brad Paisley has long been a witty craftsman like no other in Nashville. Maybe he’ll spill the beans on the release date of his long-awaited new album “Son of the Mountains” when he returns to town.

Red Clay Strays,The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Dec. 4-5

“Seeing everybody going crazy / Every time they go and disagree / This animosity has got me thinking / We all could use some harmony,” the Red Clay Strays contend on new single “People Hatin’.” And so the country rockers are helping to provide as much with their harmony-rich, raucous and rollicking songbook.

The Wilder Blue, Cabaret Theater at Westgate Las Vegas, Dec. 4

Texas country-rockers The Wilder Blue infuse their songs with five-part harmonies as gorgeous as a sunrise in their home state. They kick off the annual free NFR concert series at the Westgate, with a bevy of performers at both the Cabaret Theater and the International Bar. Visit westgateresorts.com for a full list of acts.

Wynonna Judd, Venetian Theatre, Dec. 5-6

Dolly Parton sadly may have had to cancel her planned Vegas stint during NFR, but at least another female titan of country will make an appearance when Wynonna Judd brings her soulful take on Appalachian traditionalism.

Treaty Oak Revival, Brooklyn Bowl at the Linq Promenade, Dec. 5

How righteously rowdy do live gigs by country-rockers Treaty Oak Revival sometimes get? Back in September, an overzelaous fan at one of the band’s shows in South Carolina hurled a full beer can at the stage, smacking frontman Sam Canty square in the face — and Canty kept right on playing. Drink your beer, don’t throw it, when the band rolls into Brooklyn Bowl.

Gary AllanEncore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, Dec. 6-7

“I’m a different kind of man,” NFR regular Gary Allan explains on the title track to his platinum-selling, breakout third record, 1999’s “Smoke Rings in the Dark.” That’s certainly true of this honky-tonk throwback, whose voice is supple yet lived in, radio-friendly but shot through with grit and gravitas: Think of a rose blooming from a field of burlap.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, Golden Nugget Showroom, Dec. 7

From one outlaw country great to another, Eric Church himself inducted this gritty Americana lifer into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame, a well-deserved honor for a man who has penned numerous tunes for the likes of Lucinda Williams, Pat Green and Waylon Jennings.

Lainey Wilson, T-Mobile Arena, Dec. 7

Her latest album is titled “Whirlwind,” and it’s some truth in advertising for Lainey Wilson, whose life has been just that over the past several years: In addition to winning the Grammy for Best Country Album in 2024 and getting nominated in the same category this year, she has graduated from selling out The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas during NFR in 2023 to headlining T-Mobile Arena this go-round, her career and the venues she headlines getting bigger and bigger in unison.

95.5 The Bull’s Santa Jam, Acoustic Concert The Pearl at the Palms, Dec. 8

Ol’ Saint Nick dons a Stetson for the return of 95.5 The Bull’s Santa Jam Acoustic Concert, where headliner Brett Young will get you in the seasonal spirit alongside up-and-comers Vincent Mason, Preston Cooper and Greylan James.

Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, Golden Nugget Showroom, Dec. 8

On their ongoing, aptly titled “Grits and Glamour” tour, veteran country divas Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan trade songs, stories and the occasional playful barb. The pair have a combined 28 top-10 hits, 12 No. 1 songs and 18 million records sold.

Gavin Adcock, The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Dec. 11

Gavin Adcock played the burr beneath Beyonce’s saddle over the summer when he called out her “Cowboy Carter” album for not being country enough to be categorized in said genre. While his comments certainly cheesed off the Bey Hive, biting one’s tongue is definitely not Adcock’s thing, as evidenced by his latest album “Own Worst Enemy,” which spans 24 tracks and over 75 minutes.

Nate Smith, PH Live at Planet Hollywood, Dec. 11

Nate Smith got a whole lot of boots on the dance floor with “I Like It,” his hit collaboration with Swedish DJ-producer Alesso. That chart topper served as the second single from Smith’s aptly titled sophomore album, “California Gold” — Smith is a native of the state — which also saw him duet with Avril Lavigne on tear-in-your-beer ballad “Can You Die From a Broken Heart.” He comes to NFR as one of country’s hottest acts.

Riley Green, Resorts World Theater Dec. 12-13

Expect a run on cheap beer when the rambunctious Riley Green hits town. “I drink a case of Busch Light-y almost every single Friday,” he announces on his boozy anthem-for-the-ages “Alcohall of Fame.”

Cody Jinks, The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Dec. 12-13

A self-described “fire-tongued devil with a belly full of gasoline,” Cody Jinks has his roots firmly planted in the red dirt of country traditionalism. But he began his music career playing in metal bands, and his music still pulses with a punk rock energy, a make-my-own-rules ethos.

Colter Wall, BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau, Dec. 12-13

With his ocean-deep baritone, Colter Wall sounds like a man possessed by the spirit of Johnny Cash. And the Canadian-born singer exudes the defiance of the Man in Black on “1800 Miles,” the first single from his new album “Memories & Empties.” “You ain’t cool if you ain’t counterculture weird / And it ain’t a red dirt band if the band don’t all got beards,” Wall observes on the tough-nosed tune. “We don’t got these kinds of cliques where I was grown / 1,800 miles from Music Row.”

Jamey Johnson, Golden Nugget Showroom, Dec. 13

Jamey Johnson is a bit of an anachronism, someone who sounds like he belongs to the early ’70s outlaw country movement that kicked off years before he was born. With a wizened, commanding voice steeped in heartache and pathos, Johnson is a modern-day throwback. ◆

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @jasonbracelin76 on Instagram.