Barns Courtney: Unplugged 2026 In Dallas

Under the warm red lights in a crowded room at Club Dada in Dallas, TX on April 1st, Barns Courtney kicked off his 24-stop North American acoustic tour with opening act Belle and Chain. What a testament to each artist’s craft that they can hold an audience’s attention for over two hours with nothing but acoustic guitars and their voices! The funny anecdotes and banter with the crowd helped, too! I became a fan of Barns around the beginning of his career when his song “Glitter and Gold” became the theme song to Harlen Coben’s television series “Safe” starring Michael C. Hall. When I saw Barns was stopping over here in Dallas, I knew I had to go hear that live!

Kicking off the evening, Belle & Chain–Spencer Grammer & DavisIL–played a solid seven-song set (6 originals and one cover of Geese’s“Cobra”).The duo has infectious stage chemistry and Grammer’s vocals are powerful as hell! I enjoyed the part where Grammer introduced one song with a quip about “situationships.” A bold audience member took the moment to tell the singer about her own situationship. I got the opportunity to chat with Spencer and Davis after their set and can confirm they are the nicest pair of humans you’ll meet. I truly hope they come back to Dallas soon to play a full set!

The lighting shifted from purply pink to deep red as Barns was set to take the stage. The audience, full of anticipation, cheered loudly as the singer-songwriter appeared with a guitar in hand. Barns played a cool fifteen-song set packed with tunes from across his almost decade-long catalog.

Not only did Barns Courtney come to deliver a tremendous night of music but turns out he’s quite the silly fellow. In between songs there was banter but sometimes he’d crack a joke mid-song! Midway through “Glitter and Gold” the singer stopped to compliment someone’s pants. There were *several* moments throughout his set that Barns would giggle and banter back and forth with the audience who were shouting things at him. The guy is very quick on his feet!

Toward the end of his set, Barns decided to give a go at crowd surfing to the crowd’s delight. Luckily the venue’s security was super chill and didn’t care that I jumped up onstage to get “the shot.” Haha Shortly after, Barns stepped off stage before his encore. When he returned, he brought out his old guitar that he intended to sell albeit it was apparently useless (his words, not mine) and brought out a new guitar for two more songs.

Barns Courtney has one of those super cool, gritty rock voices with the song writing soul of an angel. I strongly encourage everyone to grab a ticket to see this intimate acoustic tour! Tickets are available at www.barnscourtney.com –the North American leg runs until May3rd but continues across the pond from May 26th to June 12th.

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Jess Fagan for ZRockR Magazine – @2026 – All Rights Reserved.