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Richard Rodriguez
This ain’t your grandma’s Bulls’ Night Out.
PBR (Professional Bull Riders, for those unacquainted with the world of straddling horned bovines) has crashed the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo party and put its own stamp and pyrotechnics on one of the Stock Show and Rodeo’s most popular events. In fact, it’s not even called Bulls’ Night Out anymore, as it’s now part of PBR’s popular Last Cowboy Standing series.
Last Cowboy Standing, according to the PBR website, is “the most grueling event style on the PBR schedule … Last Cowboy Standing is a progressive elimination format that first debuted in [2019].”
Despite the change —though the overall vibe was no doubt more PBR than Stock Show, with the typical grand entry being replaced by an NBA-like rider introduction — it’s still two straight nights of watching cowboys that weigh no more than a buck and a quarter holding on to full-ton bulls for dear life. Spoiler alert: Most can’t hang on for 8 seconds. And it appears Fort Worth isn’t keen on calling this night anything other than Bulls’ Night Out.
After all, it’s a name enshrined in the lexicon of the Stock Show. Two nights of nothing but bull riding at Dickies Arena? That’s Bulls’ Night Out. And Fort Worth, in the words famously spoken by Rhett Butler to Scarlett O’Hara, doesn’t give a damn who’s hosting the event. This is the night when cowboys, cowgirls, fair-weather fans, and curious onlookers dress to the nines in their swankiest Western wear, often socializing with the ground-level action gaining their attention for 8 seconds at a time. In the Stock Show, it’s the place to see and be seen.
We attended the final night of Bulls’ Night Out, in which we struck pay dirt with incredible access thanks to PBR and their PR team, this Wednesday. Yes, the access included a 20-minute stint in the chutes, where the helmet-clad cowboys straddle their pinned-up bulls before the chute opens and a few, or maybe fewer, seconds of pure chaos ensue.
The small, 4-foot-wide platform next to the chute is where bull riders, media (some sporting 20 pounds of video equipment), and non-descript helpers jockey for position, assist cowboys, or stand awkwardly in the way of everything — like me. Before attempting to mount the bull, riders often squat or kneel in front of their designated shoot, most appearing pensive and deep in thought, an almost meditative air. Are they hoping for a good ride, to reach that coveted 8 seconds on the back of a bull? Or are they simply hoping to escape alive and without serious injury — bull riding has 10 times the injury rate of football, according to the Journal of the San Francisco Medical Society? I suspect both.
The bull, charging out of the claustrophobic chute, nearly beats the gate to its fully open position, and, more often than not, the chaps-clad cowboys fly through the air like a catapulted mannequin within a mere two seconds. It’s exhilarating.
While there were a few cowboys from the area — though none in Tarrant County specifically — the night’s winner, and Last Cowboy Standing — went to Leandro Zampollo of Pirassununga Brazil. In the PBR rankings, he’s propelled from No. 60 to No. 26.
The following day, PBR continued its slate of programming at the Stock Show with Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo Qualifier, which was held the following day. Those who qualified will get a place in the main event, which is to be held May 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Oh, and please check out the incredible images captured by Richard Rodriguez (Instagram: superprorico) above.
