Zac Brown Band members take to Opera House stage Friday for ALS fundraising show

LAKEPORT — Emma Teto is pinching herself. As president of the Lakeport Opera House she frequently travels around the eastern half of the country — “From Broadway to Bourbon Street,” as she said — to find the right kind of acts for the small, intimate stage. But sometimes, she gets the kinds of acts she can only dream of, and without even having to ask.

That’s the case with a show Friday, Sept. 1, when seven members of the triple-platinum country rock Zac Brown Band will take the stage.

The Zac Brown Band is in town for sold-out shows at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Saturday and Sunday. While playing for thousands of fans in that venue must be exciting, there’s also an appeal to performing in a small space, where the artist can make eye contact with each audience member.

Clay Cook, the band’s guitarist, has made a practice of playing at the Opera House whenever the band is in town. Those shows are exciting on their own for the intimate venue, but this year’s visit to Lakeport takes the experience above and beyond – and for a cause that's very personal for the band.

As Teto recounted, Cook’s solo show grew into a duo this year when his bandmate John Driskell Hopkins was added to the bill, serving as a fundraiser for “Hop on a Cure,” a foundation Driskell Hopkins created last year to further research into and awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

Driskell Hopkins revealed in 2022 that he was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative neurological disease that steals muscle function.

Once the show became a fundraiser for a cause so close to the band, more members wanted to be part of the effort.

"It's become quite personal for the band," explained Courtney Oertel, manager for Driskell Hopkins. She said that "Hop," as she calls him, appreciates the chance to play in cozy venues such as the Opera House, which, for this show, will seat 180.

"He often says how much he loves to play these smaller rooms as much as he likes to play the larger stadiums," said Oertel. "It's more intimate, there's time to tell stories about the songs. It's a different type of connection ... It's not one is better than the other, he truly loves them both."

The show sold out almost immediately, but Teto said the venue is maintaining a waiting list in case of cancellations. To get on the waiting list — or to request to receive the Opera House’s newsletter, to stay informed about future surprise shows — send an email to info@lakeportopera.com.

“What they wanted to do is a surprise show, they love this community,” said Teto, who said Cook has a family connection to the Lakes Region. “They chose to do this at the Lakeport Opera House because they wanted to do something nice for the community. As much as they enjoy playing the 25,000-seat-or-more stadiums, they love the intimate show as well.”

“It was supposed to be just the two musicians, then the other band members decided to jump on board. Now it’s seven members from the band, they’ll be doing a mix of their songs, with a focus on John Driskell Hopkins originals.”

Oertel said Hop is now in his second year of living with ALS and, while he has said in other interviews that he has slowed down a bit, he is still able to keep up with the rest of his bandmates on tour. Yet, his manager said, he couldn't just continue with business as usual.

"Hop felt very strongly that he had to do all that he could," Oertel said, and the foundation was the manifestation of that sentiment. "Fund the research, find what will help stop and reverse the progression of ALS."

“We’re so honored to have them grace our stage, and do this intimate show for our Lakeport community,” said Teto. This winter will be the first since its renovation the Opera House will remain open and active, with about two public shows each month and private events in between. “We try to bring local and national talent, and the best entertainment to our stage,” Teto said. Most of the shows they’ve hosted this year have sold out.

For a full list of shows, visit lakeportopera.com. For more about the foundation, visit hoponacure.org.