Cole Swindell made his Houston Rodeo debut on Saturday (March 5) to an impressive crowd of over 66,000 people. The singer admits that, as a relatively new artist, being the headliner to such a massive crowd was a special experience.

"You know, I have been in some big places, fortunately, [being] on big tours with Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, so being in a big place isn't that new, but just the feeling and knowing how big of a deal the Houston Rodeo is, it is pretty amazing that I am the entertainment," Swindell told The Boot prior to his set. "It is a Saturday night, and I feel like I should be opening for somebody. It is not real life that I'm the entertainment tonight.

"I just appreciate them having me, and everyone here is so nice and acting like they appreciate me being here," Swindell continues, "and I'm like, 'You have no idea; this is a dream come true.'"

Swindell took the rodeo stage wearing his signature "GS" baseball hat, jeans and a darker shirt. Just like Jason Aldean earlier in the week, Swindell performed atop a spinning stage, which allowed him to see the faces of the crowd in every section; "you've got to spin around and give everybody some love," he explains.

And give them some love he did. Swindell performed both his own hits, such as "Ain't Worth the Whiskey," "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" and "Let Me See Ya Girl," and threw in some covers, such as Bryan's "Roller Coaster," a song that Swindell helped co-write. Before playing his very first No. 1 song, "Chillin' It," Swindell told the crowd, "This is the song that started it all for me -- [but I] never knew it would take me here."

When it was time to play his emotional new single, "You Should Be Here," Swindell introduced the song by playing a snippet of the track's music video, which shows him talking on the phone with his dad, who passed away just as his son's career was starting to take off. The crowd waved their lit-up phones in the air as Swindell sang, and he finished by saying, "I know my dad is smiling down right now."

The 2016 Houston Rodeo, which runs throughout March, offers a star-studded concert lineup, including Keith UrbanBrad Paisley and Miranda Lambert, the latter of whom will perform on Monday night (March 7).

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