Review | Cody Jinks Makes Up for Lost Time During COVID at Santa Barbara Bowl

The stage at the Santa Barbara Bowl transformed into a dive-bar honky-tonk, and the cowboy-booted audience stomped and sang along to cherished hits by rising country star Cody Jinks. It was an evening of good songwriting and country ballads. Steel Woods opened for Jinks, the band strolled onto the stage with little fanfare. With plenty of daylight and empty seats during the opener, the stage crew was still in the process of finishing the elaborate set for Cody Jinks, but the humble Steel Woods asked for permission to play a few tunes, and they were unfazed by the stage in near-disarray. They played a short 40-minute set that included “Whatever It Means to You,” from their 2017 album, Straw in the Wind, and ended with their 2019 hit, “Rock That Says My Name.” There may have been a sea of empty seats, but most of the early-bird audience were treated to a strong, toe-tapping set by Steel Woods.  

Crew continued to transform the stage, complete with a long bar, high stools, and saloon doors. By eight o’clock, the empty seats were filled and stage lights spelled “Cody Jinks,” along with a neon “Open” sign and an outline of a large spade card, a nod to his tour for his new album, Change the Game. Cody Jinks opened with his song “Holy Water” from the 2018 album, Lifers. The song, about self-improvement, saying he needs a shot of holy water to chase down his demons represents a strong theme in Cody’s repertoire. The singer-songwriter says he gave up drinking altogether. 

The saloon stage, however, is an homage to the 20-some years he spent playing dive bars. Fittingly, he also did a deep dive into his earlier songs, making sure fans heard favorite earlier hits. He may be a young 43-year-old, but he has been playing guitar and singing since he was a teenager. He followed with his new song, “Change the Game,” a satisfying song that shows he’s proud of his musical accomplishments.

Jinks was personable, but said he wanted to keep the banter about the music to a minimum in order to play all the old hits and the new songs. Someone in the front section wanted to know what his shirt said: “I read banned books.” Although he said he likes to keep out of politics, coming from Fort Worth, Texas, the T-shirt says something about his character. 

My favorite part of the evening was when the stage underwent yet another transformation and the musicians all sat on the bar stools for an acoustic set. The softer sound was music to my ears. I especially enjoyed his 2016 breakout hit “I’m Not the Devil.” The man behind me kept telling his friend that it was his theme song.

With a quick scene and electric guitar swaps, Cody Jinks finished the show by cranking up the volume and finishing with hits such as “Cast No Stones” from 2008, to new material from Change the Game, such as “Outlaw and Mustangs.” His last album came out during COVID, and he says he hasn’t had too many California gigs. Jinks made good on his promise to play all his hits and make up for lost time, and a good ol’ time was had by all.