But more than once, I could hear the Allman Brothers’ influence in the melodies. Interestingly, every age range was represented, without one demographic totally outnumbering the other.Īlso, his songs have a down-home vibe, with “Chicken Fried” being the obvious example. If the classic rock format could break new artists, I would imagine his record label would be the first ones knocking. At times, it sounded like the 1970s in there. Instead of trying to play up his sex appeal, he simply relies on music to establish a connection to both men and women.īrown recently added Clay Cook to his band to help bring out the high vocal harmonies. Brown is the kind of singer who effortlessly appeals to a broader audience because he’s totally at ease on the stage. At one point, I thought I spotted him in the audience, too, which was kind of weird. He definitely has his own look - a bigger guy who wears a stocking cap, a vest and a beard. If you’re a Southerner who loves all kind of music, you will quickly see yourself reflected in the lead singer. That’s probably the coolest thing about the Zac Brown Band. In other words, if you didn’t like the music, you had nothing else to distract you, aside from the people-watching. The band itself didn’t have any special effects, such as a jumbo video screen or a fancy backdrop, and they certainly didn’t need anything like that, either, since the crowd was only about 15 rows deep. The soundstage essentially looked like a warehouse decorated for a prom, with padded walls and a huge chandelier dangling from the ceiling. On the second night of a two-night run, this particular concert at WorkPlay, a concert venue in downtown Birmingham, was probably the most no-frills country show I’ve seen in a long, long time. 19), they are officially ready for their country close-up. Judging from a thoroughly enjoyable, sold-out concert here Thursday night (Feb. And then you recall that they’ve been playing music together since 2004 and probably played a thousand shows in bars and clubs long before country radio ever noticed them. Spot-on harmonies, no cheesy banter, a set list that flows well. so, at first, it’s surprising just how tight their live show is. The Zac Brown Band only has one country hit - that being the unavoidable “Chicken Fried”