ZAC BROWN BAND, Rail Event Center, March 6
SALT LAKE CITY — The Zac Brown Band made its inaugural appearance in Utah Saturday night … barely.
Bad weather nearly forced the postponement of The Breaking Southern Ground Tour, leaving most of the tour buses stranded in Colorado. But Brown and his bandmates were able to catch a flight to Salt Lake City, rent some equipment locally and put on an outstanding performance before close to 2,000 people at a packed Rail Event Center.
"We weren't sure we'd be able to get here, but we made it," Brown told the crowd to roaring approval.
This year's Grammy winner for Best New Artist and Academy of Country Music nominee for Artist of the Year, the Zac Brown Band opened with its hit "Whatever It Is" before picking up the tempo with "Let It Go."
By "It's Not OK," each member in the alt-country sextet was showcasing its musicianship with jam band solos. Blending country, rock, pop, bluegrass, rockabilly and reggae along with four-part harmonies and Brown's lightning-fast guitar picking, the group kept the energy level high all evening.
Crowd favorites "Toes" became a big sing-along with it's catchy hook line, "Life is good today." Audience members danced to slower songs like "Highway 20 Ride" and "Free" and then waved their cowboy hats and stomped in approval for the silly, but still filled with driving solos, "Sick 'em on a Chicken" and cover of the classic "Devil Went Down to Georgia" from The Charlie Daniels Band.
Each band member was given an opportunity to showcase his musicianship: Jimmy DeMartini with fast fiddle solos, Chris Fryar on drums, Coy Bowles and Clay Cook with guitars, and John Driskell Hopkins showcasing both his bass playing and occasional lead vocals.
The Zac Brown Band's music crosses over several musical genres and has found appeal in almost all age groups, as was apparent by the number of children at the all-ages venue Saturday.
The bearded Brown and his trademark stocking cap took on Bob Marley's "One Love" and later "America The Beautiful," which led into the big hit "Chicken Fried."
Although most artists in The Breaking Southern Ground Tour were stuck in Colorado Saturday, it didn't dampen the spirits of either the crowd or the band.
The Rail Event Center opened last fall, and it still has some issues to work out, namely parking, the sound system and its ridiculous upstairs area. Standing on the main floor in the middle of the arena, the sound wasn't bad. But the farther out to the sides the audience got, the muddier the sound. And the upstairs area, which was only for people 21 and over because that's where alcohol was served, was a mess.
With a taste of Brown's sweet Georgia sound, the Salt Lake audience couldn't wait for a return visit. Maybe next time the band can graduate to The Depot.
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com