How a Collinsville teen found himself performing with country music star Zach Bryan

Rainn Hoelting, 15, of Collinsville was a fan on a mission.

A budding musician, he knew country artist Zach Bryan often brought youngsters on stage to play with him on the song “Heading South,” which is about never giving up on your dreams. So, Rainn enlisted his family to help make his dream come true on Dec. 12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Not only was he selected out of a sold-out crowd at the 19,000-capacity BOK Center, but Bryan told Rainn he could keep the Gibson J-45 guitar the crew handed him.

The duet was captured on a video that went viral on social media and now has over 2 million views on TikTok.

His father, Ryan Hoelting, said it has been a whirlwind ever since.

“It’s been surreal. He knew what he had to do to make it a possibility to get on that stage.” Hoelting said. “He killed it. People were saying it was a great performance.”

And that’s not just a proud dad talking. The consensus, based on social media responses and reviews, was universal praise.

The “Holler Country” website linked the video. “Zach Bryan Invites Tulsa Man On-Stage to Sing “Heading South” in Oklahoma – And He Crushes It,” it said.

The site may have mistook Rainn for a Tulsa man, but writer Maxim Mower was clear in his impressions of the youngster’s performance.

“Zach Bryan has made an endearing habit of inviting hopeful singer-songwriters – often taken directly from the audience – on-stage to perform one of his earliest hits, ‘Heading South’” Mower wrote. “ … he (Rainn) delivered a spellbinding rendition of the rugged, introspective hit, with a number of fans already taking to TikTok to express their disbelief at how impressive he was.”

Rainn is a sophomore at Collinsville High School, where he plays baseball, soccer and is an honor student. His father said his son was musically inclined at an early age, liked to play the drums at age 5, and started playing guitar two years ago.

“He literally just found his voice in the last six months, and has rolled with it,” Hoelting said.

Rainn said he related to Bryan’s music.

“I love his songwriting, his band and his energy,” Rainn said.

He said Bryan’s songs that first sparked an interest included “Something in the Orange,” “Burn Burn Burn,” and “Heading South.”

Bryan, who began writing songs when he was 14, has sold over 30 million albums and singles. Billboard named him Top New Artist in 2023, and he won a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Kacey Musgraves for their duet “I Remember Everything.”

The family attended a Zach Bryan concert at the Enterprise Center for the first time on May 2. After that, Rainn dug deeper into his music catalog and can now sing and play most of it.

With the goal of getting on stage, Ryan said Rainn had asked him and his wife Kelly to take him to the Oklahoma concert, so they traveled, along with daughter Elliott, the six hours to Tulsa, which also happens to be Bryan’s hometown.

Bryan played three concerts there Dec. 12-14, after being out west, and before he closes this leg of the Quittin’ Time Tour in Brooklyn, a 10-month whirlwind of more than 50 dates.

The Hoeltings had studied videos of other hopefuls getting the nod to join Bryan on stage. They got to the arena early, scoped the setting, and were in front of the stage, but Rainn’s sign was confiscated by security so as not to obstruct the view of others, Ryan said.

They had checked the setlist, which was posted online, so they knew “Heading South” was No. 16 out of 24, right after “Tourniquet.”

Rainn was ready – he put the message on his phone and tried to get Bryan’s attention that way as he moved around on stage. Ryan said others nearby were also helping Rainn to get noticed, by screaming and pointing at him.

“He got his attention, and Zach pulled him up, saying to the crowd: ‘Do you trust him, Tulsa?’ Hoelting said, noting it was favorable.

“At the end of the song, they did this ‘man-hug’ and ‘high-five,’ and Zach told Rainn ‘you get to keep the guitar,’” he said.

The crew came over to the barricade and handed him the guitar after the concert. It has been an early Christmas present to remember, Hoelting said.

Ryan Hoelting is a musician who plays with the rock band Johnny Rock-itt and the Double Wide Symphony, which specializes in classic rock from the 1970s and 1980s. He also performs with another musician in The Double Wide Symphony Duo, and as a solo act. He plays acoustic sets at The Cabin at Judy Creek in Glen Carbon on Sundays, and Rainn has accompanied him several times. Only now he’ll play his Gibson J-45.

Hoelting has been struck by his son’s poise and demeanor in the aftermath.

“He’s always been calm and collected,” he said.

All those years of being around his dad while performing has helped. Rainn was on stage at the Italian Fest in Collinsville and the DuQuoin State Fair as a young child, playing the drums. He played guitar at Smokin’ on Main BBQ Festival in Collinsville this past summer.

Rainn plans to continue playing and is looking into an engineering program for college. His father said he’s interested in exploring Purdue University’s Polytechnical Institute’s mechanical engineering technology program that partners with the iconic guitar brand Gibson for hands-on learning opportunities.