Photos courtesy of Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

I want to like Blake Shelton. I really do. But damned if he doesn't make it nearly impossible.

Shelton might make a decent country singer if he didn't look so pleased with himself, and if his music pushed the needle on the give-a-damn ometer even into the yellow once in a while. Friday night at RodeoHouston, he gave off an air of someone who had just eaten a big meal and was about to undo not only his belt buckle but perhaps the top button of his trousers as well.

That's not a particularly good look at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, where belt buckles mean something. If it's possible for someone to be both smug and shiftless at the same time, Shelton was.

The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium.

Flying the flannel.

Name: Blake Shelton

AKA: "Mr. Miranda Lambert"

The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium.

We actually prefer the canine version.

Name: Pitbull

AKA: "Armando Pérez"

The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful (?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium.

Rock me, country Jesus.

Name: Jake Owen

AKA: "The guy who originally wanted to be a golfer."

Photos courtesy of Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

My heart was stolen by a cowboy last night, and I don't want it back.

I, along with nearly 70,000 other spectators, rolled into Reliant Stadium for yet another RodeoHouston concert -- only this time it was Kenny Chesney.

It was great to be at a show that actually felt country; I know that the rodeo works hard to bring in a diverse group of artists, and that feat is commendable given the gargantuan task that it must be. However, as evidenced last night, there's simply nothin' better than being at the rodeo, drink in hand, listening to some good ol' country music in Houston, Texas.

Admittedly, Kenny Chesney has never been on my favorites list; I'm a little traditional about my taste in country music (and not 'cause that's hip; it's just what I was raised on), so I can be wary about the hybrid-country artists on the scene, especially those of the beach-bum/cowboy variation. Perhaps I shouldn't be.

The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium.

Who says real men don't moisturize?

Date: March 12

Name: Kenny Chesney

AKA: "You'd think a guy that rich could afford shirts with sleeves."

Photos by Amanda J. Cain

Somewhere along the way Jason Aldean rubbed me the wrong way, and whenever I did have a stray thought about him, the words "massive tool" weren't far behind. I spent most of his RodeoHouston concert Monday night at (a packed) Reliant Stadium trying to figure out why, and I think I've got it.

In the last five years, Aldean has become one of mainstream country's biggest male stars, if not the biggest, certainly because of his eye-candy appeal but also because he has adopted more elements of hip-hop culture more successfully than any of his peers. Well, there's Kid Rock, but he doesn't really count.

But not only does Aldean use hip-hop terminology like "bling bling" in his lyrics and exude a general posture of "swag," he actually raps. Spits, whatever. He's not half bad, really, as MCs go. I don't have a problem with Aldean rapping (square-dance calling is not that far off), I just wish he had more interesting things to say than "if it's broke around here, we fix it."

photos by Marco Torres

Rolando Marroquin, lead singer of Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon

I've said it once or twice, but I will say it again, and continue to do so until I am proven wrong. Tejano music is dead, at least at RodeoHouston. In its place is banda music and norteño/conjunto.

But as much as I miss my beloved Tejano, the Mexicano in me won't let me disregard the accordion-laced, tuba-filled sounds that overtake Reliant Stadium every year. As long as these bands attract a record number of paid attendees (75,305 this year), and as long as Tejano remains in its dormant coma, the formula will most likely remain for many rodeos to come.

The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful (?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium.

Urge to kill ... rising.

Date: March 11

Name: Jason Aldean

AKA: "That guy in a hat. No, not him. No, the other one."

photos by Marco Torres

In both numbers and influence, the Go Tejano Committee is one of the largest and strongest within the entire Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It raises and awards millions of dollars worth of scholarships to high school and college students, sponsors the popular Fiesta Charra and Go Tejano Day entertainment, and generally celebrates Houston's rich Hispanic heritage throughout the rodeo season and all year long.

Of all of the special functions that are held to achieve the committee's goals, the most popular event is the annual Mariachi Invitational. Every year, the committee invites six teams from all around the state to audition for the opportunity to be named the Best Mariachi in Texas.