Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
ZAC BROWN BAND, LEWIS LOVE – MARGARET COURT ARENA – MELBOURNE – 06.10.2025
I was incredibly excited to finally see the Zac Brown Band, knowing their reputation for presenting dynamic live shows and the gig tonight certainly exceeded my expectations. Hearing Zac Brown’s rich vocals, being mesmerised by his guitar playing and the pure quality musicianship and versatility of the band was truly outstanding.
Hailing from Ballarat, Victoria, 19-year old Australian singer/songwriter Lewis Love opened the show. For someone so young, Lewis was so laidback and casually worked the stage, waving to people in the crowd and smiling the whole set. His blend of alt-country, folk-infused songs created such a positive vibe among the audience. At the intro of a cover he did of Tom Petty’s MARY JANE’S LAST DANCE he said he first heard this song on the radio when he was being driven to a gig by his Mum. He said “Mum is here tonight!” and looked across to the side of the stage and waved to her. Lewis performed 8-songs, offering an enjoyable taste of his music. He finished with CAN’T SEE THE SKY, which is the song that has tongues wagging, comparing Lewis Love to Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen.
The Zac Brown Band opened with the delightful anthem TOES from The Foundation (2008). The crowd instantly erupted and sang along to the opening lyrics and chorus – “I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand, Life is good today, Life is good today.”
This feel-good vibe carried throughout the whole evening as everyone sang along so passionately, loving every minute of the show. As I looked around the arena, the country-outfitted crowd oozed with love and unity.
AS SHE’S WALKING AWAY and KEEP ME IN MIND followed. The band harmonise so beautifully together and it gave Jimmy De Martini on fiddle and tenor backing vocals his time to shine. Each member of the band has their own standout personality on stage and they are all masters of their craft, some being multi-instrumentalists. I honestly don’t know who was enjoying themselves more – the band or the audience.
One of the highlights of the evening was a cover of The Charlie Daniels Band THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA, an iconic song that lifted the roof off the arena. Zac’s killer picking on electric guitar and De Martini on fiddle during this song was fast and furious. The fiery fiddle solo was next level.
Another crowd favourite and opportunity to sing along was SAME BOAT with the lyrics: “We’re all in the same boat, Fishing in the same hole, Wondering where the same time goes and money too.”
Zac Brown spoke of his love for Australia and said “Thank you for the love, it feels like home”. Zac talked about the time he has spent in Australia and revealed that it was in the Blue Mountains where he wrote FREE, which they then sang and mashed Van Morrison’s INTO THE MYSTIC into the middle of the song. The seamless musical transitions kept the show running smoothly.
The Caribbean-infused JUMP RIGHT IN from Uncaged (2012) showcased Daniel de los Reyes on percussion, who has performed with various artists such as Don Henley, Billy Joel, Sting and Ricky Martin. This song highlighted both the wonderful harmonisation of the band and Chris Fryar on drums and Matt Mangano on bass guitar, who were the perfect rhythm keepers. They then performed for the first time a new song called GIVE IT AWAY from their upcoming album and then SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW.
A special part of the evening was when they invited Josh Teskey from The Teskey Brothers on stage to sing a soulful cover of THE WEIGHT by The Band. Zac highly praised Josh and asked him to remain on stage for another song. They launched into The Teskey Brothers HOLD ME, a goosebumps moment of the night which showcased the versatility and strength of the band.
They followed with LOVING YOU EASY and BEAUTIFUL DRUG from Jekyll + Hyde (2015). During COLDER WEATHER they mashed a rendition of The Eagles TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT within the song. They played a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ISN’T SHE LOVELY mashed in with John Mayer’s NEON where Zac Brown played guitar like he was possessed. Coy Bowles on Hammond B3 organ and Wurlitzer electric piano was stunning along with Clay Cook on a Gibson Firebird V.
The storytelling and connection that Zac Brown has with the audience is beautiful. During KNEE DEEP, the cinematic backdrop featured Jimmy Buffett out on a river in a boat and finding a message in a bottle saying MEET ME IN MEXICO while singing along to the song. John Driskell Hopkins played banjo on this track. They returned for a 2-song encore and performed the heartwarming anthem CHICKEN FRIED, which gained the biggest reaction of the night with everyone singing in unison the main lyrics: “You know I like my chicken fried, and cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right, and the radio up.” They closed out the show with HOMEGROWN.
THE ZAC BROWN BAND:
Zac Brown – Lead Vocals / Guitar
Coy Bowles – Guitar / Keyboards / Piano / Organ / Backing vocals
Clay Cook – Lead Guitar / backing vocals
Chris Fryar – Drums
Jimmy De Martini – Fiddle / backing vocals
Daniel de los Reyes – Percussion
Matt Mangano – Bass guitar / backing vocals
John Driskell Hopkins – Guitar / ukelele / banjo / backing vocals
SET LIST:
TOES
AS SHE’S WALKING AWAY
KEEP ME IN MIND
THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA (The Charlie Daniels Band cover)
BEAUTIFUL DRUG
SAME BOAT
FREE / INTO THE MYSTIC (Van Morrison cover) / FREE
JUMP RIGHT IN
GIVE IT AWAY
SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW
THE WEIGHT (The Band cover) – with Josh Teskey
HOLD ME (The Teskey Brothers cover) – with Josh Teskey
I AIN’T WORRIED ABOUT IT
LOVING YOU EASY
COLDER WEATHER / TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT (The Eagles Cover) / COLDER WEATHER
ISN’T SHE LOVELY (Stevie Wonder cover) / NEON (John Mayer cover)
KNEE DEEP
Encore:
CHICKEN FRIED
HOMEGROWN
