That Mexican OT climbed a steel mega-truss supporting Reliant Stadium's retractable roof Wednesday and sang three songs, launching a new Houston-focused performance series from the Texans that the team hopes will become a regular fixture. The Bay City, Texas native ran through “Johnny Dang,” a brand-new track called “Apple Bottom,” and “Water,” a song he released this past summer, accompanied by classical and flamenco guitarist Jeremy García.
A New Series Built on Houston's Hidden Corners
The performance marked the debut of 713 Sessions, a video series launched by the Houston Texans and the team's in-house content arm, Hustle Town Studio, to spotlight artists performing in unexpected spaces throughout Reliant Stadium, according to Chron. The format is inspired in part by NPR's Tiny Desk concert series but carries its own Houston identity, per the same report. Hustle Town Studio itself is described by the Houston Texans as a Houston-based entertainment studio built to develop and produce original content across sports, culture and entertainment, with ambitions stretching into film, television, music, streaming and emerging platforms.
Jay McDevitt, who was named Head of Development at Hustle Town Studio by the team, said 713 Sessions showcases Houston's music and culture while giving both fans and nonfans another way into the city, per Chron's reporting. McDevitt also called Houston a hotspot for music and culture, and said the team is open to all music genres as the series continues. The Texans reportedly plan to take advantage of visiting out-of-town artists while coordinating schedules and finding open dates with local performers, according to McDevitt.
Guitarist Says Height Was the Only Nerve-Wracking Part
García, who performed alongside That Mexican OT on the truss, is a co-founder of Houston's Solero Flamenco, a company he established with Irma La Paloma, according to the group's own website. He has performed in the United States both as a soloist and in that leadership role, per Solero Flamenco. Speaking about Wednesday's rooftop set, García said the performance offered a unique opportunity to celebrate music's universality, and added that looking down was the only scary part of playing at that height, according to Chron's account.
The series is expected to feature more performances throughout the year, per McDevitt. The Texans have previously collaborated with Houston hip-hop figures Slim Thug, Paul Wall and Bun B, a history the team appears eager to build on as 713 Sessions develops. The team also met with producers from NPR's Tiny Desk to gather feedback and ideas for the project's future, according to Chron's reporting.
Part of a Bigger Content Push
The rooftop performance is one early output of a broader strategy. According to the Sports Business Journal, Hustle Town Studio is meant to push the Texans beyond football and into the region's wider culture, music and entertainment scene. The outlet reports the studio could eventually take on projects about Houston's car culture, its food scene, its local music or traditional football documentaries. The studio is slated to be part of the team's planned Toro District, a mixed-use development that will also house the Texans' team headquarters, the Sports Business Journal reports.
The concept of pairing a professional sports organization with an intimate, stripped-down performance format has precedent elsewhere. NPR Music and Levi's recently announced a Tiny Desk Experience built for Super Bowl LX, described as a close, immersive setting created exclusively for Levi's Home Turf attendees. That event marks a case of NPR's long-running Tiny Desk format being adapted for a major sports occasion outside its usual Washington, D.C. home.
