Zach Bryan, Kings of Leon to play Golden Gate Park’s biggest one-day show

Get those cowboy boots ready. The headliners for next summer’s one-day show in Golden Gate Park with be country singer-songwriter Zach Bryan and alt-rock veterans Kings of Leon, with other acts to be named later, promoter Another Planet Entertainment announced Wednesday.

Scheduled for Aug. 15 at the Polo Field, one week after the much larger Outside Lands, the newly dubbed Golden Gate Park Concerts is part of the promoter’s effort to deliver more large-scale outdoor entertainment to San Francisco. It’s the second in what’s shaping up to be an annual series, following performances by nu-metal bands System of a Down and Deftones before 50,000 fans this past August.

The raspy-voiced Bryan is an heir to the long legacy of “outlaw” country artists who built careers independently from Nashville’s more polished sensibilities. He was Billboard’s top new artist of 2023 and won awards for his album “American Heartbreak,” as well as a Grammy for “I Remember Everything,” a duet with Kacey Musgraves. 

Another Planet bet big on country acts at Outside Lands 2024, booking Sturgill Simpson, Shaboozey, and a “special country set” from Post Malone. Musgraves, it should be noted, played the festival in 2019 — so naming Bryan as a headliner indicates that the Bay Area’s embrace of the genre is hardly a passing fad. 

The baby-faced Bryan has courted controversy in his personal life, including an allegedly abusive relationship and ugly public breakup with podcaster Brianna Chickenfry and an ambiguous quasi-endorsement of Donald Trump.

Although anything but a country act, Kings of Leon hail from Nashville and have steadily built a loyal fanbase following the 2008 release of their fourth album, “Only by the Night.” Earning comparisons to Pixies and the Clash, they’re standard-bearers for a blistering, guitar-centric style of boogie rock that has gradually disappeared from many festival lineups amid the ever-growing popularity of hip-hop and EDM. But Kings of Leon are hardly a legacy act, having released their ninth album, “Can We Please Have Fun,” this year.

Tickets go on sale Friday at noon, with general admission available for $199.70 and VIP tickets at $470.70 including fees — essentially unchanged from last year.