Night one of the Music City Rodeo set the bar quite high. Fans poured into Bridgestone Arena from Broadway to watch some of the best in the world compete in the first day of the three day event put on by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA). It’s the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi and the largest in the entire Southeastern Circuit. Oh, and it’s also important to note that the 2026 Music City Rodeo has been designated as an official Cinch Playoff Series Rodeo. What does that mean? Well, that designation brings in the top rodeo stars like Rocker Steiner, Stetson Wright, Hailey Kinzel, and over 30 other World Champions. And saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno got off to a great start last night with his first ride of the rodeo: View this post on Instagram That’s one heck of a ride right there. After a full night packed with roping, riding and mutton busting (probably my personal favorite event of the night), the dirt that was laid down turned into a pit, and country music icon Miranda Lambert took the stage. Rodeo fans stuck around to take in the performance from the 3-time Grammy award winner, and the “Bluebird” singer had plenty of wildcards up her sleeve. Lambert treated the Music City Rodeo crowd to a rendition of “Choosin’ Texas,” brought Little Big Town out to share the stage for a couple of songs (when in Nashville, eh?), and even hit everyone with her newest track that mixes country and disco. Something about hearing “Crisco” at the rodeo just felt right: View this post on Instagram Throughout the night, it was abundantly clear how much of a match rodeo and country music are. When we sat down with rodeo stars Kade Bruno and Rocker Steiner earlier this year, they both said that Music City Rodeo acts as the perfect crossroads. As Rocker Steiner described, the sport and the genre have shared the same thread throughout the years: “You’ve got to think, for the last however many decades, country music has been written about rodeoing. Look at ‘July in Cheyenne’ by Aaron Watson, ‘I Can Still Make Cheyenne’ and ‘Amarillo By Morning’ by George Strait. A lot of country songs are written around rodeo. Really, we live the same lifestyle. We really kind of have the same attitudes… if you love country music, rodeo really is a part of you.” And Kade Bruno had much of the same to say. The saddle bronc rider stated that there’s a lot of overlap when it comes to the fanbases of the rodeo and country music. In his mind, and in the mind of many other rodeo stars, if you like one, there’s a great chance you like the other: “We go hand in hand. 90% of our fans are also country music fans, and vice versa. If you are a rodeo fan through and through, you are probably listening to country music.” @whiskeyriff @Rocker Steiner @kadebrunoooo @musiccityrodeo #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff And there’s still two nights to go of the Music City Rodeo. Charley Crockett (May 29) and Jon Pardi (May 30) will both put on headlining shows in the next couple of days, and the world’s best rodeo stars will also be in action. Simply put… the cowboys have taken over Broadway and Bridgestone Arena. You can hear Rocker and Kade talk more about the event in our full interview below. Check it out on YouTube or make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Audio Video The post Miranda Lambert Brought Country & Disco Together At Night One Of Nashville’s Music City Rodeo first appeared on Whiskey Riff.