Zac Brown’s Music & Food Fest
Zac Brown had an idea: Create a music festival where the food is as good as the music. That’s the basis of his Southern Ground Music & Food Festival. The two-day event took place this weekend in Nashville, and will be repeated next month in Charleston SC.
No funnel cakes or corn dogs at this festival. Instead there was Smokehouse Jambalaya or shrimp & grits. Gourmet food with fresh ingredients prepared by certified chefs under the direction of Atlanta’s Rusty Hamlin. The beer was Jimmy Buffett’s Landshark Lager. Spirits from nearby Jack Daniels Distillery.
The music was also first class, headlined by a 2-1/2 hour set by the Grammy-winning Zac Brown Band. Special guests during Zac’s Friday set were Jason Mraz, Kenny Rogers, Lennon & Maisy, The Stellas, and Kenny Chesney. On Saturday, Zac welcomed John Fogerty, Willie Nelson, and Clare Bowen of the ABC-TV show Nashville.
The location was The Lawn @ Riverfront Park, located along the Cumberland River. This is where the city hopes to build an amphitheater some day. No question the space was more than adequate to handle headline-level music shows. Organizers said Friday’s crowd was almost twice what the festival attracted last year, and even more were expected on Saturday. Two stages were set up on the empty land: The headline stage at the front, and a smaller acoustic stage at the top of the hill in the back.
The diversity of the music was as interesting as the quality. It’s rare when a country headliner chooses to perform cover songs by rock acts like Metalica or Tom Petty in place of his own hits. Zac Brown left out several of his own hits, and instead did songs originally hits for Jimmy Buffett or Paul Simon. Kenny Rogers performed “(Just Dropped In) To See What Condition My Condition Was In” and “The Gambler,” while Kenny Chesney joined Zac for “Knee Deep” and Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”
One other unique element of this show was the stage design. On either side, there were two long “thrusts” with special “Stage Boxes” where, for an additional price, fans could sit next to the stage, and have their gourmet dinner served. Throughout the night, Zac and his band walked in front of the boxes, serenading his fans as they ate their dinner. Zac told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton those stage boxes were the first to sell out. “Those tickets flew, as soon as we put them on sale they were gone. That’s the ultimate VIP experience. You have your own table on stage with the band, your own server, great wine, 6 course meal, and you get to high-five the band while they’re up there playing!” On the left side of the lawn, a huge ferris wheel was set up. Fans could take a ride, and get a magnificent view of the show, the city skyline, and the nearby river.
Clearly, the two day Nashville event was a success. Organizers told us they plan to add more cities next year. Chicago, Boston, and Zac’s hometown of Atlanta are among the locations being considered. The success of stadium shows by Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, and Jason Aldean in those cities this past year make them logical targets.
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