Zac Brown Band Hits Home Run at New York’s Citi Field
Zac Brown Band cranked out hit after hit for two hours, proving once again that they are some of the most (if not the most) talented musicians in the industry.
As the sun set over the East River and planes taking off from LaGuardia Airport flew overhead, fans from New York City and beyond packed into Citi Field for Zac Brown Band’s headlining Black Out The Sun Tour on Friday (Aug. 19). The Grammy-winning band took the stage just after 8:15 pm and cranked out hit after hit for the next two hours, proving once again that they are some of the most, if not the most, talented musicians in the industry.
Opening the show with “Homegrown,” ZBB was welcomed with cheers from the packed stadium. “Hello New York,” shouted Zac Brown from the stage. The band kept the energy up with upbeat performances of “Whiskey’s Gone,” “Knee Deep,” and a cover of “S.O.B.” by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.
Zac Brown Band had fans yearning for a tropical vacation after their reggae-infused performance of “Castaway,” which provoked a full-on audience sing-a-long. “You sound beautiful,” Brown told them.
After a flawless, harmony-filled rendition of “Sweet Annie,” Brown told fans he was going to teach them some lyrics for the next song. He asked them to immerse themselves in the music and not think about anything else for the next “three or four minutes.” The near capacity crowd happily obliged and joined the band in singing “Black Out The Sun.”
A show highlight was an acoustic performance of “I’ll Be Your Man (Song for a Daughter).” The soulful tune sounds even better live… and I’d be willing to bet that it made a few fathers in the audience tear up.
After a 10-minute intermission, ZBB returned to the stage with Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” showcasing that they can truly sing anything. Songs like “Beautiful Drug” and “Loving You Easy” proved to be fan favorites, and covers of The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down” and The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” got great responses from the crowd.
The band’s epic set came to a close with their debut smash “Chicken Fried,” which is just as fun eight years later.
Zac Brown Band has one of the best live shows in the business, hands down. ZBB’s musicianship is absolutely unmatched. After seeing them live again, it still baffles me that this group seems to be looked over at award shows. I have the feeling the industry awards don’t matter to them though. It’s all about the music, and that’s exactly what their live show demonstrates.
Zac Brown Band’s label mate Drake White opened the show with his band The Big Fire. These guys are insanely talented and always impress (last night was no different!). White, whose debut album, Spark, dropped that morning, truly shines on stage. Songs like “Living the Dream” and “It Feels Good” were the perfect segue into ZBB’s set. I don’t think Brown could have picked a better opening act.
The Blackout the Sun Tour will make its way to Boston’s Fenway Park tonight, where Zac Brown Band will play a sold-out, two-night stand at the iconic ball park. For fans unable to attend the shows, Brown has partnered with Nugs.TV to offer a webcast of the shows available as pay-per-view webcasts at nugs.tv and in the nugs.net app for AppleTV.
