What to expect at Zach Top’s 'Cold Beer & Country Music' Tour: Setlist, start time, merch and more
Oct 14, 2026
·Tricia Despres
Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, longtime Chicago-area entertainment writer Tricia Despres breaks down what it’s really like to see Zach Top's 'Cold Beer & Country Music' Tour in person, from the setlist to the merch, and everything in between.
Legends are made on the stage, and on October 9, 2026, at Allstate Arena in Chicago, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was watching one take shape right before my eyes in the form of Zach Top.
He is an absolute gift.
And when an absolute gift is coming to your town, you buy the damn ticket. It doesn’t matter if traditional country music isn’t your jam or if you have plans for that night. Watching a 29-year-old find his way toward legendary status is truly a sight to behold and worth every penny.
“It’s been a minute since we’ve been here,” Top said roughly a half hour into his nearly two-hour set. “It was either late 2024 or early 2025 when we played Joe’s on Weed St., and Chicago brought the heat then. Thank you for coming out.”
What followed was a no-nonsense show that relied on none of the clichés or overused tricks to keep the audience engaged. Instead, it was pure musicianship that held the crowd’s attention from the first note to the last.
Frankly, a Zach Top show proves that sometimes less really is more. There are no extreme sets or intricate video walls. There are no fireworks or hot dog cannons. There is simply a man singing his heart out on hit songs such as “Sounds Like the Radio,” “Good Times & Tan Lines,” and “I Never Lie,” while leading a band of brethren playing their instruments to their very limits. It’s wholesome, pleasant, and impressive.
And I would go all over again if I could.
What is a Zach Top ‘Cold Beer and Country Music’ tour concert really like?
The Zach Top ‘Cold Beer and Country Music’ concert was filled with a sea of first dates and flannels, cowboy hats and casual dresses, and a ton of wrinkles and Wranglers. And they all came out on a Friday night to see just what the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and musician could deliver over the course of two hours and 27 songs.
And they didn’t leave disappointed.
For the Chicago audience in particular, the night held plenty of little reminders that this was far from just another stop on Top’s already massive Cold Beer & Country Music Tour. Not only did the Windy City find its way into a number of lyrical shoutouts by the Washington native himself, but the occasional silence between songs was filled with the familiar “Green Bay Sucks” chant from the audience.
Coach Ditka would have been proud.
Chicago also got lucky enough to see Top invite Marty Stuart back out onstage for a special collaboration. “Just worked this song up today,” Top said before tearing into “Honky Tonkin’s What I Do Best.” “I wanted to do a song with him really bad.”
And it was really good.
Throughout the show, I couldn’t help but think about how much Top reminds me of George Strait. From his look to his no-nonsense way of putting on a show, it’s evident that Top has no time for unnecessary theatrics. But when he performed “Justa Jonesin” with a cigarette artfully dangling from his mouth throughout the entirety of the song, it was damn impressive.
What time does Zach Top go on stage?
Sitting in a venue and watching people fill it must be like watching a sunrise. Of course, I wouldn’t know because I’ve never watched a sunrise in my life.
Too early for my liking.
But at 7:49 p.m., my slice of Connie’s pizza, my overly expensive Diet Pepsi in the souvenir cup, and I made our way to our seats, where I watched as the venue began to beautifully but slowly fill up. At exactly 8 p.m., the lights went out, and Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives took the stage.
God, I loved them.
Their 40-minute set is a must-watch. Come early and get your money’s worth.
At exactly 9:13 p.m., the lights went out and Van Halen’s “Jump” started blaring through the speakers, which most certainly grabbed the attention of all those thinking they were here for a traditional country show. At 9:14 p.m., Top walked out to thunderous applause, wearing what looked to be the exact same Kimes Ranch jeans that had been advertised since we walked in.
And of course, he was also wearing a black cowboy hat.
It was at this point of the night that I realized Zach Top was hot. Now granted, my seats were a good way away, and I had to rely on the video screens on either side of the stage to truly take in his features.
Some of my favorite moments of the night? Most definitely the salute to Top’s love of bluegrass around the 9:55 p.m. mark. In fact, at one point during the cover of Jimmy Martin’s “Freeborn Man,” I literally wondered if the arena was going to go down in flames.
Which might have helped because I was still cold as heck.
After 25 songs, Top and his band of brothers walked off the stage into the darkness around 10:54 p.m., only to return a minute later for an encore that included “I Know a Place” and “Things to Do.” “Y’all were one of the most fun crowds we have played for on this tour,” he told the crowd with that sweet smile of his that I had fallen in love with three songs in.
I did stick around to see if Top made any effort to shake some hands, take some selfies, or sign some autographs for the contingent of hard-core fans in the pit area before leaving the stage for the final time, but alas, there was nothing.
He was out of there.
What is Zach Top’s setlist?
Here’s the full setlist from Zach Top’s Oct. 9 Chicago show:
Sounds Like the Radio
The Kinda Woman I Like
Lonely for Long
South of Sanity
Guitar
Beer for Breakfast
Two Dozen Roses (Shenandoah cover)
Other Side of Hurtin’
Bad Luck
When You See Me
Good Times & Tan Lines
In a World Gone Wrong
Cowboys Like Me Do
Freeborn Man (Jimmy Martin cover)
Use Me
She Makes
Flip-Flop
Honky Tonkin’s What I Do Best (with Marty Stuart)
Good Girls & Cowgirls
Tightrope
Justa Jonesin’
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
There’s the Sun
I Never Lie
Cold Beer & Country Music
Encore:
I Know a Place
Things to Do
What is the stage and production like?
It was fairly evident right off the bat that Top and his band were focused on letting the music do most of the talking, with minimal production.
To hell with strobe lights.
And guess what? The lack of extravagance really played a role in the audience's immersion in the night. Frankly, there weren’t many times when the crowd turned into a sea of iPhone screens eager to capture and share the show. Instead, fans seemed completely captivated by the musicianship on stage, and for me, that was a breath of fresh air.
What merch is available?
The merch tables were a mighty meeting spot for Zach Top fans to congregate before, during, and after the show, and for good reason!
I really liked his stuff.
The retro look was evident in the neon-colored T-shirts for $45, sweatshirts for $70, and long-sleeved hoodies for $75. The “Cold Beer & Country Music” shirts were by far the most popular items, with the camo version going for $55. There were also posters for $30, hats and vinyl records for $40, and $5 koozies for more budget-focused fans.
As I entered the arena around Section 111, there was a merch table tucked into a corner with a short line, but the merch line in the always overly crowded corridor near Sections 114 and 115, by the bathrooms, was absolutely packed. Avoid it at all costs, and instead, seek out the other merch tables hiding in the corridors.
What do fans wear to the Zach Top concert?
This Zach Top concert was no style contest. Fans seemed to wear what was cute, comfortable, and cozy. There were a ton of flannel shirts and cowboy boots, and far more bedazzled jeans than I could count.
But again, no one seemed to care much about what they were wearing compared to who they were seeing and what they were hearing.
The apparel that did my heart the most good was the number of retro T-shirts I saw older fans wearing. I mean, I haven’t seen that many Alan Jackson T-shirts in one place in a while. But unlike the rest of the clothes worn that night, it was those T-shirts that made a worthy statement, that perhaps that generation of country music fans has found their next country music hero in the form of Zach Top.
Is the Zach Top concert family-friendly?
Y’all know the answer before I even say it. Of course it is. I don’t remember a curse word said or any risqué lyrics sung. But honestly, I could count on one hand the number of little cowboys and/or cowgirls I saw in attendance.
What to know about seeing a concert at Allstate Arena
Before the music even starts, there are a few things worth knowing about getting through the doors and into the arena.
What is it like getting into Allstate Arena?
You know how you feel when something is so easy that you assume you are doing it wrong? That’s a little bit how I felt making my way into Allstate Arena.
I proceeded to walk the short distance to the doors, where there was no line at all at 7:11 p.m., much to my delight. Security was a breeze and rather pleasant, but just about the time I felt like things were moving forward swimmingly, a blast of arctic air hit me out of nowhere.
It was freezing in there.
It’s important to note that the Chicago Wolves, the area's American Hockey League team, were scheduled to open their season the very next day. So, I don’t know if they were making ice somewhere or what, but I sure was glad I had a coat.
Where should you sit at Allstate Arena?
For this show, my seat was in Section 116, Row AA, Seat 9, in a temporary seating row immediately in front of the permanent lower-bowl seats.
There were no cup holders, and there was very little leg room, but nevertheless, the view of the stage wasn’t bad.
Next time, I’d choose a permanent lower-bowl seat over one of these temporary rows, even if it meant sitting a little farther from the stage.
What should you know about getting to and from Allstate Arena?
Anyone who knows the Chicagoland area knows that getting into Allstate Arena on a Friday night around rush hour can be an absolute nightmare.
But surprisingly, on this particular Friday night, it was a breeze.
My initial thought was to park in the preferred parking lot located right across the street from the venue and near will-call. However, I soon found out that while the lot was relatively empty, it could have been because they were only accepting cash, and I haven’t had cash in my wallet since 2017. So, I moved on to park on the west side of the venue in official Allstate Arena parking for a fair price of $25, with the guys waving their light-up parking wands directing me right behind the stage production trucks, which made my former groupie heart giddy.
And while exiting the venue was fairly easy too, the traffic and construction on I-294 near O’Hare Airport added a good hour to my commute home.
How to buy Zach Top tickets on SeatGeek
If I haven’t convinced you yet that a Zach Top ticket is a must, I ain’t doing my job. But if I have in fact convinced you, here is what I need you to do.
Start by heading over to the Zach Top artist page on SeatGeek and checking his tour schedule to see if the Cold Beer & Country Music Tour is headed your way. Once you find your show, choose how many tickets you need and use the interactive venue map to find the tickets that work best for you. Once you’re happy with your choice, hit checkout and start figuring out which Alan Jackson shirt you are going to wear to the Zach Top concert.