Lewis Love Opening Act
Lewis Love Drowns In Whiskey Tears
“Now my tears are whiskey
blood drops are wine
she laughs like tequila
stays on my mind
we smoke like we’re chimneys
and laugh till we’re blind
so please don’t forget me
darling your mine.” – Whiskey Tears – Lewis Love.
The sun was still high in the Melbourne sky as fans flocked to Margaret Court Arena to catch one of the great concerts of the year.
They arrived from the bush, suburbs and city in utes, pick-up trucks, vans, cars, buses, trains and trams to a sold-out Zac Brown Band show opened by bucolic Ballarat singer-songwriter Lewis Love.
I arrived early after my Glen Iris Chinese dental appointment at the apt time – 2.30 – with puns in my denim pockets.
Zac Brown had received major exposure on Nu Country TV for his videos, previous tour concert reviews and interviews.
But for Lewis Love it was his entrée to the big smoke where the Geelong Cats were mauled by the Brisbane Lions in an AFL Grand Final September soiree at the MCG on the other side of the railway tracks.
I found my seat early and watched the mosh pit filling faster than a dental downpour.
Wait, there was a pale smoke cloud rising above the stage and on the three large video screens.
It was a relief to note it was not orange so there was no danger of a Trumpian turmoil but the whistles in the wings of the mosh pit were chilling.
Luckily, it wasn’t legendary AFL umpire Razor Ray Chamberlain making a comeback after surviving verbal sprays from the members stand at the old Collingwood football home ground at Victoria Park.
Instead, the pre-concert musical soundtrack featured artists headlined by Texan star Steve Earle – a former frequent tourist – whom I interviewed many moons ago at his Tennessee ranch with his cave stage and other exotic locales.
But this was a different Ballarat gold rush of sorts with Lewis Love emerging on stage to loud applause.
“I’m 19 and I come from a town called Ballarat,” Love told fans as his hot band propelled his eight-song set.
Despite an accessible sound-system I couldn’t catch the titles of his first two songs before his vocals enabled No One to be his third.
But his quartet band which featured keyboards, drums and guitars ignited his fifth tune Whiskey Tears which was solace for Geelong fans.
“Make some noise,” Love urged fans as they sang along when he upped the tempo for Glasshouse and You Get Me High.
Love revealed he wrote some of his songs after he sold his car and booked a one-way flight to Los Angeles where his mother – also in the audience for this concert – joined him and he signed a major deal.
Love introduced his cover of Tom Petty’s Mary Jane’s Dance by revealing 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.
It seemed fitting Love closed the set with his debut single Can’t See The Sky, released on April 11, that echoed the approaching darkness on the edge of this town but was inspired by the departure of a former girlfriend.
The singer asked fans to buy his new album set for summer release and decamped the stage to make way for Zac Brown’s energised band.
Zac Brown Back In Town
“You know I like my chicken fried
a cold beer on a Friday night
a pair of jeans that fit just right and the radio up
well, I was raised up beneath the shade of a Georgia Pine and that’s home you know
sweet tea, pecan pie, and homemade wine where the peaches grow
and my house, it’s not much to talk about
but it’s filled with love that’s grown in southern ground.” – Chicken Fried – Zac Brown-Wyatt Beasley Durrette
Triple Grammy winning Georgian singer-songwriter Zac Brown and his hot band made a triumphant return to their home away from home on your latest Australian spring tour.
Brown, 47, is no stranger to these shores as he reminded his audience throughout his concert featuring songs from his 10 albums.
“It’s good to be back down under, how are you doing, I’ll have a little surprise later,” Brown revealed as he hit centre stage for his apt entrée Toes from his 2008 album The Foundation.
The singer introduced band members including Jimmy De Martini on fiddle and tenor backing vocals as they followed with their second song As She’s Walking Away that preceded Keep Me In Mind.
It was no surprise they raised the roof when the launched The Devil Went Down To Georgia by the late Charlie Daniels who also toured here many times.
Brown regaled fans with his memories of historic visits here before igniting Beautiful Drug and Same Boat.
There was raucous reciprocal humour when he revealed he had visited Byron Bay, Warnervale and Nimbin.
“There were some good stories from there,” Brown revealed.
“Thank you for the love, it feels like home. I also wrote songs here in Australia” Brown told fans of his elongated stays as he introduced Van Morrison’s Into The Mystic and Free that he penned way up north of the Murray-Dixon Line in the Blue Mountains.
Equally accessible were the band’s riveting versions of Jump Right In and Give It Away that he explained “the real joy comes from helping other people.”
But the surprise the singer pre-empted in his entrée came after the band revived Someone I Used To Know.
“The things I love about Australia are AC-DC, Magic Mike and The Teskey Brothers,” Zac revealed as John Teskey emerged from stage right.
“John Teskey is one of my favourite voices.”
They joined forces and vocals for The Band historic hit The Weight and Teskey Brothers cover Hold Me that featured John on joint lead vocals in a spirited singalong propelled by John Driskill Hopkins on fiddle.
Next the band showcased new tune I Ain’t Worried About It and Loving You Easy.
There was even more avid audience response when they revived Colder Weather and Take It To The Limit and followed with Isn’t She Lovely and Neon.
But the biggest visual highlight was a cinematic journey through the surfing and swimming exploits of the late singer-songwriter-sailor-author Jimmy Buffett when they performed his aquatic hit Knee Deep as their finale.
The 2011 video was filmed at Careyes in Jalisco, Mexico, and featured actress Juliette Lewis with Buffett and Brown.
Mississippi born Buffett died at the age of 76 on September 1, 2023, in Sag Harbor, New York.
But it was not their finale – they returned with tasty crowd pleasers Chicken Fried and Homegrown.
“It feels like home here,” Zac told fans as he urged them to buy his next album for our summer, “we’ll be back here to our second home.”
With capacity crowds they’re certain to return with no orange clouds from above.
Especially with his band featuring Coy Bowles on Guitar-Keyboards-Piano-Organ-backing vocals, Clay Cook Lead Guitar-backing vocals, drummer Chris Fryar, Jimmy De Martini on fiddle and backing vocals, Daniel de los Reyes percussion, Matt Mangano bass guitar and backing vocals and John Driskell Hopkins on guitar, ukelele, banjo and backing vocals.
Zac Brown Band song 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 / 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) (Acoustic)
- I Ain’t Worried About It
- Loving You Easy
- Colder Weather-Take it to the Limit-Colder Weather
- Isn’t She Lovely – Neon
- Knee Deep
Encore:
- Chicken Fried
- Homegrown
Review by David Dawson – Producer – Nu Country TV
Photos – Jeana Thomas
