Zach Bryan performed his unreleased song “Sandpaper” during his concert in New Jersey on Friday (March 15).
Toward the end of his 27-song set at Newark's Prudential Center, the country star treated fans to the live debut of the new song, which he teased earlier in the year on social media.
In January, Bryan teased 45 seconds of the then-unfinished “Sandpaper” on acoustic guitar. During his Quittin' Time tour on Friday, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter unveiled the four-minute track, which features synths, extra guitars and backing vocals.
“You're like sandpaper,” Bryan sings on the track, which is believed to be about his girlfriend, Brianna LaPaglia, according to Rolling rock. “Baby, you're trying to smooth me over.”
The artist's concert in NJ also included a performance of “I Remember Everything,” his Grammy-winning song with Kacey Musgraves. The track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated September 9, 2023, earning both Musgraves and Bryan their first top spot on the Hot 100. It also debuted atop the Hot Country Songs chart, where ruled for 20 weeks (until February 2024).
Bryan's Quittin' Time Tour kicked off with three shows at Chicago's United Center (March 5-7), before trekking across the country with stops in New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee and more. Opening acts on the tour include Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The War and Treaty, Sierra Ferrell and Sheryl Crow.
Bryan was named Billboard's Top New Artist of 2023, hitting No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart and the Hot 100 Songs survey. Bryan, who charted on both the rock and country charts, is the first country singer to be the year's top new artist since Advertising sign began garnering the Top New Artist category, combining performance on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, in 1977.
Watch Bryan perform “Sandpaper” in New Jersey in a fan-captured video clip here.
