This interview is also available as an episode of the Consequence UNCUT podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.
The Zac Brown Band knows that their job isn’t done after they complete an album and put it out into the world, and so they focus on their enigmatic, wildly enjoyable live shows, which have progressively grown in scope and stature since the band’s origins in the early 2000s.
It’s more than a mission for Zac Brown, it’s a point of pride. With the release of Zac Brown Band’s third live album, From the Road, Vol. 1: Covers this month, Brown and his group have yet another example of why they’re one of the best live bands in country music. But rather than put out another live album of their various hits over the last 15 years, they wanted to highlight the detours, surprises, and spontaneous guest stars that make their shows so spectacular.
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“This album is for people who just know our songs from the radio and haven’t come to a live show yet,” Zac Brown tells Consequence over a video call. “Our shows are super dynamic, we play all kinds of music. We always throw in curveball cover songs and things that people would never expect us to play. So, I was excited to give a taste of what our live shows are and our arrangements, and how we reinterpret these songs.”
While Zac Brown Band’s arrangement of these covers — which include Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Eleanor Rigby,” and Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” — aren’t miles away from their originals, they’re full of enthusiasm and creativity. Even better are From the Road‘s special guests, who linked with Zac Brown Band on several shows from their recent North American tours. Steven Tyler joins the band at Fenway Park for a rendition of “Sweet Emotion,” John Mayer plays along to the 12-minute “Neon” at a Nashville festival, and Marcus King guests on the Allman Bros classic “Whipping Post.”
The band is no stranger to star-studded collaborations, but as Brown attests, having these guests play during their shows is part of the Zac Brown Band magic. “I am still just such a music fan first,” says Brown, “When you’re a kid growing up, the people whose music you love, they’re kind of like superheroes. And when you get to be a peer with those people and they’re willing to come out and join our stage and be able to be there… Those have been some of the most incredible milestones.” In addition to sharing the stage with From the Road‘s eclectic guests, Brown names a prior TV performance alongside James Taylor as a particularly treasured moment: “He was my biggest influence… sharing the stage with your heroes and people like that and getting to be friends with them is weird and amazing.”
