Zach Bryan Announces Exclusive Melbourne Show For Always Live 2023

Nearly eight months after he initially teased it, Zach Bryan is finally heading Down Under – the fast-rising country star announced today (October 3) that he’s got a one-off Naarm/Melbourne show on the cards for December.

READ MORE: 10 Things You Need To Know About Modern-Day Country Icon Zach Bryan

The highly exclusive gig is set to go down at the Catani Gardens in St Kilda on Saturday December 9. Co-presented by Untitled and the UNIFIED Music Group, it comes as part of the program for this year’s Always Live series, an initiative launched by the Victorian Government to encourage tourism.

In addition to being his only (currently scheduled) show in Australia, the night will be doubly special for fans since it also marks Zach Bryan’s first-ever performance on Australian soil. Back in February, he teased in a (since-deleted) Tweet that tour dates for Europe and Australia would be “coming soon”. At the time of writing, it’s not totally if this means a proper tour of the country is still being planned for 2024.

Fans of Bryan’s can expect a show jam-packed with hits, with the artist having dropped his self-titled fourth album back in August. It followed his career-defining triple-album American Heartbreak, which arrived last May. Presale tickets to the show – special guests for which will be announced in the coming weeks – go on sale this Thursday (October 5), followed by the general sale on Friday (October 6). Head here for more info on tickets.

In a press statement, Always Live CEO Steve Smith said of Bryan’s Australian debut being tied to this year’s program: “We are thrilled to welcome Zach Bryan, one of America's hottest rising country stars, to Always Live for his first ever Australian performance. His exclusive Melbourne show promises to be a highlight of the 2023 program, and we can't wait to share this unforgettable experience with fans of country music right from all over Australia right here in Victoria.”

Echoing the sentiment was Emily Ulman, the series’ programming director, who added: “Adding Zach Bryan to the Always Live program, in partnership with Untitled Group and UNIFIED Music Group, further amplifies our commitment to delivering a diverse and dynamic celebration of live music in Victoria.”

The first shows for Always Live 2023 were announced in August and featured heavyweight names like Christina Aguilera, Eric Prydz, A.B. Original, Jessie Ware, and so, so many more. The full program will run from Friday November 24 to Sunday December 10, with shows sprawling all across Victoria. See here for the full program as it currently exists.

Meanwhile, September was a pretty notable month for Bryan – the same week that saw him call out the “terrible people” releasing his old recordings, he was unexpectedly arrested in Oklahoma.