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Review & setlist: Zac Brown Band bring the fire to Fenway
On their "From the Fire Tour," the renowned band played a career-spanning, record-breaking 14th show at America’s oldest ballpark.
Zac Brown Band, with King Calaway at Fenway Park, Saturday
They may come from Georgia, but Zac Brown Band are no strangers to Boston. Saturday night marked the Grammy Award-winning band’s 14th time playing the legendary Fenway Park. Returning to play each summer since 2014, you could say it has become a local tradition to welcome them back into the ballpark. The band currently holds the record for most consecutive sold-out shows at Fenway and is just the third artist to be inducted into the Fenway Hall of Fame.
Joined with support from rising band King Calaway— who Zac Brown produces and mentors — the night kicked off with a surge of feel-good alternative country music. With two members of the band alumni of Berklee College of Music, there was an extra reason to welcome them to the park.
Zac Brown Band took the stage at 7:50 p.m. on the dot, a fairly early set time for a headlining act. Brown casually strode onto the curtain-dawned stage, welcoming the crowd with his cheery grin before launching into a stripped-down version of the 2010 hit “Make This Day.” Without further ado, the curtain was ceremoniously dropped to reveal the whole 9-piece band posed to launch into their instruments.
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To commemorate the achievement of returning to Fenway, Brown doted a glistening Boston Red Sox ring, bearing close resemblance to the World Series rings worn by the team. “It’s a perfect night in a perfect place,” he sentimentally shared before launching into his next song. There was simply no time to waste, as the rowdy audience clung to each pause in anticipation of hearing their favorite song. Although with the group’s consistent career, there are endless hits down the pipeline.
“Knee Deep” and “Keep Me in Mind” appeased the crowd, with beats demanding you sway in time as water droplets and ocean waves cascaded on the backdrop. Further tracks “Same Boat,” “Jump Right In” and his mashup of “Where the Boat Leaves From / One Love / People Get Ready” (where the violin player picked the strings like a ukulele) contributed to Brown’s island themes, a motif he frequently utilizes.
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A marker of his success, it remains clear that Zac Brown’s appeal is broad and welcoming. Venturing farther than most country artists of his caliber, Brown shamelessly traverses any boundary of genre or expectation. What results is a diverse crowd that truly reflects the power of inclusive music.
Proving his multiformity, Caribbean-inspired rhythms lick “Carolina” and turned the park into a tropical getaway, with lyrics that prompt the audience to sing and dance: “Jump right in, let the music pull you in,” Brown sang with a sense of friendly authority.
“Loving You Easy” radiated with elements of neo-soul, while “Whiskey’s Gone” invigorated the crowd’s energy, as the band hollered and stomped in a raucous nod to traditional country. The ultimate drinking song, it served to rile up the crowd while still being rooted in emotive lyrics — a duality that flourishes in much of Zac Brown’s music.
An assortment of string and wood instruments scattered across the stage like a compelling artist’s playground. Each of the band’s members took to many instruments, including violin, mandolin, banjo, slide guitar, and bongos. While their roles may designate them to a certain position in the band, their intrinsic skill and musicianship allowed them all to effortlessly switch between instruments throughout the show. Their dynamic interplay and pure joy served as a whole show in itself.
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In moments of kinship, Brown invited the two frontmen of King Calaway to return to the stage to perform their duet “When I Get Home,” which Brown co-wrote and produced. The camaraderie and talent of both parties shined as Brown shared the spotlight in the altruistic way he so often does.
Brown additionally duetted with band member Caroline Jones, the group’s first and only female member, who joined the group last fall. Performing “Tomorrow Never Comes,” her pristine vocals gorgeously caressed Brown’s roughened edges, creating a dichotomy that could intensify any song.
There were plenty of moments that acted to rouse the audience into a frenzy. A dueling drum-off posed percussionist Daniel de los Reyes against drummer Chris Fryar to create an epic intensification of sound that ended in a satisfied eruption before the band left for a brief ten-minute intermission.
Returning to the stage, Brown performed tracks “Beautiful Drug” and “Sweet Annie” to a rapturous crowd. Ballad “Colder Weather” saw Brown’s vocals reaching new heights, while fans lit up Fenway with a sea of cell phone lights that gently swayed in undulation.
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If it was not yet clear how versatile the Zac Brown Band is, it showed in his covers. Busting out a surprising rendition of Harry Styles’ “Adore You,” Brown won over many of the young fans in the audience who eagerly sang along to the Top 40 hit. Despite his country drawl, Brown has the innate ability to make any song his own. Merging his song “Free” with Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” — a track Morrison is speculated to have written in Boston— a beautiful repose was cast across the stadium.
Guitarist Clay Cook took his turn on vocals, launching into the iconic Derek & the Dominos hit “Layla.” Deep in symphonic bliss, a cool breeze whipped through the park just as the keys came in, creating a moment so serendipitous it almost felt rehearsed. Additional covers that came later in the night included Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” Radiohead’s “Creep”(where he impressively hit the Thom Yorke falsetto), and U2’s “With or Without You,” all perfectly rendered to flow into the melodies of Zac Brown compositions.
People of all ages danced to fan favorite and summertime staple “Toes.” The set closed with “Homegrown,” a gratifying ode to your roots. Returning for an encore, Brown announced, “We went into the country archives to make this happen,” before launching into a lengthy medley that played out like a live jukebox of country classics. Each tune highlighted a different member of the band and brought a unique flair while showcasing their abilities.
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The night ended with none other than their critically acclaimed 2005 hit “Chicken Fried,” unleashing a satisfactory triumph that enraptured the crowd as they dutifully sang along.
“I thank God for my life / And for the stars and stripes,” Brown sang while honoring a local veteran who walked on stage during the song’s military ode, a tradition that marks many a Zac Brown Band show.
Concluding the two-hour set, Brown grinned and thanked the audience. “Thank y’all for one of the best nights of my life,” he said. “Thank you so much, Boston. We love you.”
Channeling years of memories, the culmination of new and old that graced Fenway Park was an emotive highpoint for the band and their fans. Wrapping up summer with a cold beer on a Saturday night, the euphoric atmosphere that the Zac Brown Band creates is an addicting sensation, proving just why he is welcomed back year after year. As the reigning patriarch of summertime country, it is only right to close out summer with Zac Brown.
Setlist for Zac Brown Band at Fenway Park, Aug. 19, 2023
- Make This Day
- Knee Deep
- Keep Me in Mind
- When I Get Home (with King Calaway)
- Loving You Easy
- Whiskey’s Gone
- Free / Into the Mystic
- Tomorrow Never Comes
- Same Boat
- Adore You (Harry Styles cover)
- Percussion / Drum Solo
- Jump Right In
- Beautiful Drug
- Layla (Derek and the Dominos cover)
- Sweet Annie
- Where the Boat Leaves From / One Love / People Get Ready
- As She’s Walking Away
- Colder Weather
- Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover)
- Toes
- Creep (Radiohead cover)
- With or Without You (U2 cover)
- Homegrown
Encore:
- Mountain Music / Chattahoochee / All My Ex’s Live In Texas / Fishing In The Dark / Callin’ Baton Rouge / Family Tradition / Boot Scootin’ Boogie / I Will Always Love You / Here’s a Quarter / Friends In Low Places
- Chicken Fried
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