Zac Brown Band concert-turned-tribute honors Jimmy Buffett

GILFORD — Zac Brown Band’s sold-out, two-night stop at the BankNH Pavilion at Meadowbrook this weekend turned into a tribute to singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who died last Friday at age 76. Buffett, who had collaborated with the band on several songs, was best known for his unique brand of tropical rock, releasing more than 30 albums throughout his career. 

After opening the set with “Make This Day” on Saturday night, Zac Brown dedicated the show to Buffett before singing “Knee Deep,” one of the band’s biggest hits, released in 2010 and featuring Buffett. Photos of Buffett were projected on the stage and venue screens at the end of the song. 

The band played for more than two hours in two different sets, separated by a 10-minute intermission. The setlist mixed the band’s singles and its large catalog with a fair number of covers from a wide variety of genres. 

Jenny Grace got the night started on the Hazy Little Stage, playing a mix of country music covers and her own original music. 

Opening band King Calaway entertained the crowd on the main stage as fans took their seats. When they started to play their set, the lawn was full but guests in seats were sparse. By the time they closed with “The Other Half,” nearly the entire amphitheater was at capacity. 

With an 8:20 p.m. start, the crowd sang along with the Zac Brown Band through hits like 2011’s “Keep Me in Mind,” “Loving You Easy” (2015) and “Free” (2010) as the sun went down. 

The band also brought King Calaway back out onstage to perform “When I Get Home,” a song from King Calaway’s 2023 record “Tennessee’s Waiting.” 

Zac Brown Band was started in 2002 in Georgia as a trio, with Brown on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. It wasn’t until 2004 that Brown started adding members to form the nine-member lineup who perform today. Brown still takes lead vocals and guitar, and is joined by Clay Cook on guitar, keyboards, mandolin, steel guitar and vocals; John Driskell Hopkins on bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulele, upright bass and vocals; Jimmy De Martini on fiddle and vocals; Coy Bowles on guitar and keyboards; Chris Fryar on drums; Matt Mangano on bass guitar; Daniel de los Reyes on percussion; and Caroline Jones on guitar, keyboards, harmonica, vocals. To learn more about Zac Brown Band, visit zacbrownband.com. 

The band also has a personal connection to the Lakes Region. In between songs, Brown ribbed Cook, who met his current wife here in the Lakes Region, during a previous tour stop. Brown made references to signs hung backstage to discourage staff and visitors from engaging with the band. 

Wrapping up the first set was a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that got the 9,000-member crowd singing along, “As She’s Walking Away,” a 2010 hit that features Alan Jackson in the recording, a minutes-long percussion and drums solo and finally 2013’s “Jump Right In.” 

The two-night engagement in Gilford comes right on the heels of a Friday night fundraiser organized and performed by members of the band at the Lakeport Opera House in Laconia. Band members put on the show to raise money for “Hop on a Cure,” a foundation band member Driskell Hopkins created last year to further research into and awareness of ALS. Driskell Hopkins shared in 2022 that he was diagnosed with the disease. To learn more about the foundation, visit hoponacure.org. 

The second set brought just as much energy as, if not more than, the first. The band kicked it off with 2015’s “Beautiful Drug,” and continued through covers like “Layla,” originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos and made famous by Eric Clapton, and Radiohead’s “Creep,” along with originals like “Sweet Annie” (2013), 2011 mega-hit “Colder Weather” and 2009’s “Toes” before closing with “Homegrown” from 2015. 

The encore featured a megamix of country standards that spotlighted each member of the band, from “All My Exes Live in Texas” to “I Will Always Love You.” 

The band played a beautiful, final tribute to Buffett in a cover of his 1977 song “Margaritaville,” which had every member of the crowd on their feet. The night ended with the band’s debut single, “Chicken Fried,” a favorite since 2008, as a tribute to United States servicemembers.