American country music band Zac Brown Band (ZBB) kicked off their 2025 United States tour in Nashville at The Pinnacle concert hall. Known for collaborations with Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney, ZBB formed in 2002 and has released seven studio albums.
The opener, Gaelic Storm, kicked off the night with a classic whiskey song. The band formed in 1996, and reminisced on their journey in the music industry.
“We started at the pub, and here we are at The Pinnacle,” lead singer Patrick Murphy said.
The band continued with more upbeat Irish jigs, including their own original “One More Day Above the Roses.” After a few songs, I thought the band sounded familiar, and after a quick Google search, I learned that they appeared in the “Titanic” movie as the steerage band. They ended their set with “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, which was surprising to hear, but Murphy’s accent presented an interesting spin on the song.
ZBB opened the night with one of their earliest hits, “Toes.” Reminiscing on sunny weather and lounging on the beach only furthered my senioritis and was the perfect start to this Wednesday night concert.
ZBB performed several covers throughout the night, which I have not seen much in concerts, but I really enjoyed the change of pace the covers created. My two favorites from the night were “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels and “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. The ZBB fiddle player, Jimmy De Martini, effortlessly played fast-paced and intricate fiddle solos throughout the night that made me want to learn to play the fiddle, too.
My only grievance of the night is the sheer amount of songs played. Obviously, this was a great thing, as I was exposed to many of ZBB’s newest hits, but for a weeknight concert at the end of the semester, I was very tired by the end of the set. The middle section of the set was acoustic and included new and old songs alike, such as “My Kind of Medicine,” “Sweet Annie,” “Same Boat” and “Jump Right In.” As the weather grows warmer in Nashville, hearing his newest releases and classic favorites made me ready to close my laptop and spend the weekend at the lake blasting country music.
At some point during high school, “Chicken Fried” unironically became my friend’s and my go-to song to belt in the car. Hearing it live reminded me of them and our drives around town. As a graduating senior, I cannot stress how fun seeing a country concert in the heart of Music City was. Whether you are a country music hater or its number one fan, I highly recommend attending a country concert at any venue before leaving Vanderbilt.
