There are about a dozen times during a Zac Brown show when it feels like another 1 a.m. at another local beach bar. It’s the smell of saltwater and sweat, the hot aroma of alcohol breath, and it’s the sound of a cover band playing “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” while the leatheriest old-timers this side of spring break sing along without a care.
Yep, moments like that come a plenty at a show from the Atlanta band — which evolved from a pop and country cover act — and those moments, much like the joy of a late-night buzz nearing its climax, actually feel fun in the hands of Brown, 39, and his eight-piece orchestra. The 19,000 fans who packed into a MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Sunday night definitely loved it, and gamblers at the nearby Hard Rock casino could probably hear them all singing along to the many covers (Darrell Scott, The Eagles, more) and originals like “Whiskey’s Gone” and “Sweet Annie.”
On a night when the warm air messed up hair-dos and left sweaty salt-rings on everyone’s favorite t-shirts, Brown didn’t have to speculate on the tastes of the sold-out shed. In fact, he parked his big party bus right in the audience’s driveway, cranked up the stereo and played hit after hit — even when that hit wasn’t his.
Set opener “Use Somebody” was borrowed from the Kings of Leon, opener Caroline Jones joined Brown & co. for a take on Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon,” and another tourmate, Darrell Scott, joined in as ZBB played the aforementioned “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” (a song written by Scott before Travis Tritt made it a hit in the year 2000). Save for a solemn take on Jason Isbell’s 2013 Americana classic “Cover Me Up,” familiarity was the order of the day during a two-and-half-hour show that surprisingly felt short.
Time flies when you’re having drunk though, and Brown was happy to bring Buffett vibes to the party with “Knee Deep,” a 2010 song, which features Jimmy himself. “Toes,” a 2008 hit that could be the unofficial anthem for Tampa Bay’s own Redneck Riviera, was great, and “Jump Right In” is now my new personal theme song for shotgunning blue margaritas.
Lots of songs are anthems in the hands of Brown, actually, especially ones like “Free” and the Dave Grohl-produced “The Muse,” two originals that were mashed up with Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” and U2’s “One,” respectively. The former are two of the more poignant songs in the ZBB’s catalog, but even their messages (sovereignty from the constraints of society, finding inspiration from normal everyday life) paled in comparison to the poetry Morrison and Bono were able to capture in their compositions.
And that’s where Zac Brown Band — for all its musical muscle and ability to breed Deadhead (and Parrothead) levels of devotion — falls a little short.
Brown is an outspoken supporter of military veterans, especially those wounded in combat. His Camp Southern Ground program gives military families — especially the kids — a chance to step away from a military lifestyle that can be rigorous. His chef even sources ingredients for tour meals from local growers. But as “U-S-A” chants broke out after Brown gave a house away on stage and 19,000 people saluted a Hillsborough County Sheriff Officer during “Chicken Fried,” it was impossible not to think about a funny poll which found that ZBB fans are 1.9 times more likely to have voted for Donald Trump in the November 2006 general election.
It was impossible to not think about politics after looking at the demographic in the room (mostly white, lots of fishing swag), and it was certainly impossible as the band roared through a 15-minute version of “Whipping Post” to close its first set. The song, simply, is about feeling beat up. No doubt how anyone who paid attention to politics feels after all that’s gone on over the last year, but Dicky Betts Gregg Allman’s lyrics also evoke imagery from a time when Americans enslaved each other. The culinary arm of Brown’s Southern Ground brand even co-ops ideas from Mexican cuisine.
So as Brown worked through “Start Over” — an innocuous song about “smokin’ Js” he penned with Pharrell Williams — it was kind of disappointing to watch him go through a very patriotic set without even touching any of the sensitive stuff so many of the disjointed parties need to not be ignoring these days.
That isn’t to say Brown needs to say, “Remember, guys, black lives matter, too,” after honoring first responders. He certainly doesn’t have to talk about voters rights or systematic racism, either. And he doesn’t need to be the guy that saves a scorched political landscape that may be too far gone to repair. In fact, he doesn’t have to do anything. But that doesn’t make saying nothing sound better.
Zac Brown’s music earned him the power to pull 19,000 people away from Sunday night football. Sure, it might’ve been Raiders vs. Redskins, but even Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi showed up on the Jumbotron. That’s impressive. And while those in attendance probably wen’t boycotting an NFL that isn’t necessarily boycotting players who’re boycotting the “Star Spangled Banner,” Brown’s inability to work any kind of statement into his set felt a little soft.
But maybe that’s what a Zac Brown set is. Soft fun, great musical chops, and nothing else.
You’re not supposed to talk about religion and paychecks amongst friends, and you’re definitely not supposed to talk about politics at the bar anyway. And at the end of the day, maybe that’s what the concert was — a big bar, with a bunch of your friends.
On a Sunday night, surrounded by friends that’s really all you need anyway. Right?
See more photos from the show below and listen to a playlist featuring songs from the set here.
Setlist
Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
Whiskey’s Gone
As She's Walking Away
Free / Into the Mystic (Van Morrison)
Keep Me in Mind
Colder Weather / Take It To The Limit (The Eagles)
Start Over
Loving You Easy
Cover Me Up (Jason Isbell)
Whipping Post (Allman Brothers)
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Day For the Dead
Sweet Annie
Sunday’s Finest (Sir Roosevelt)
Quiet Your Mind
Toes
It’s A Great Day To Be Alive (Darrell Scott)
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)
Day That I Die
The Muse / One (U2)
Jump Right In
Knee Deep
Chicken Fried
Homegrown
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Back In Black (AC/DC) / (Stevie Ray Vaughan) / (Van Halen) / Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne) / Paradise City (Guns N’ Roses)
