On Monday night (October 13), Bowery Ballroom looked a little like Nashville, as Brent Cobb played to a full house of New Yorkers in cowboy hats and boots.
Before launching his own career as a performer, Cobb made his name writing songs for country heavyweights like Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert. Though often described as a country singer-songwriter, Cobb prefers “songwriter-singer,” a storyteller first and vocalist second. Over the years, he’s toured alongside Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs, but his solo shows have earned him a devoted following.
Gold Star opened the evening with a set that blended Americana and country-rock textures with modern hues. Frontman Marlon Rabenreither (vocals, guitar, harmonica), formerly of the Sister Ruby Band, introduced “Blue Sky to Blue Sky” by sharing that it was written about tough times in New York around the time he dropped out of Cooper Union. When the crowd jokingly booed, he smiled and clarified, “It wasn’t the city’s fault.”
Taking the stage with The Fixin’s (Matt McDaniel on guitar, Josh Williams on bass and Len Clark on drums), Cobb delivered a set spanning more than two decades of songwriting. Some tunes, he admitted, were written when he was just sixteen years old, back when classic rock was a much stronger influence on him than country music. That rock ‘n roll spirit runs through his new album, Ain’t Rocked in a While (2025), which leans into heavier riffs, still with a Southern swagger.
To explain the album’s title, Cobb recalled setting up a drum kit for his son, who asked him to “play some rock ’n’ roll guitar.” The record, and its title track, became his way of proving to his son that he could, indeed, rock.
Before “Even If It’s Broke,” a standout from the new album, Cobb joked that his career has been “a long, slow climb to the bottom.” He reminisced about the days when Tyler Childers opened for him, then paused and grinned: “Sometimes I wonder if I should do something different—but then I remember I’m bad-ass.” The crowd roared its approval. Cobb went on to thank longtime collaborator Matt “MattMan” McDaniel for co-writing the song, which is about persistence and faith in one’s craft: “The hole in my bucket… It may never get filled, but I still / Water my garden even if / Four outta five gallons spill.”
Introducing “Black Creek,” a Southern-rock tune infused with country, blues, and gospel influences, Cobb recalled signing a bad record deal early in his career and later reclaiming the rights to his debut album, No Place Left to Leave (2006), which was reissued in 2020. The rerelease quickly paid for itself, fitting for a song about redemption and hard-won freedom.
He closed with “Country Bound,” written by his father (“the first song I ever saw written”), and “Come Home Soon.” Both songs dwell on the tension between life on the road and the pull of home, exploring how chasing one dream can distance you from another. For Cobb, the road represents possibility and independence, but home is where identity and belonging take root, a dichotomy he describes with humility and heart.
Brent Cobb & The Fixin’s continue their U.S. tour through August 2026, including a return to New York on March 27 at Buffalo Iron Works.
Brent Cobb & The Fixin’s – Bowery Ballroom – October 13, 2005
Setlist: Southern Star; Mornin’s Gonna Come; Sucker for a Good Time; Keep ‘Em On They Toes; Shut Up and Sing; Ain’t Rocked in a While; Even If It’s Broke; Diggin’ Holes; Wild and Blue (John Anderson); Down in the Gulley; Ain’t a Road Too Long; Butterfly; Black Creek; Let the Rain Come Down; Livin’ the Dream; Power Man; Bar, Guitar and a Honky Tonk Crowd; Country Bound; Come Home Soon.
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