The Zac Brown Band showed Columbus some southern hospitality Friday as it made another stop on its “Breaking Southern Ground” tour.
With more than 3,000 shows under its belt and averaging more than 200 of those per year, this concert was nothing new to the Atlanta based band. The Zac Brown Band has accumulated many of its dedicated fans thanks to this intense touring schedule.
The band’s first single, “Chicken Fried,” is an ode to Brown’s simple Southern upbringing. He sings about what is most important in life such as family, home, love and even a good meal.
“Sweet tea, pecan pie and homemade wine” are just a few of those things that hold a special place in the heart of the country singer.
For about one hour before the concert, the Zac Brown Band hosted their exclusive “Eat and Greet,” an event that takes place prior to every performance on this tour.
This gave roughly 24 lucky fans a chance to meet the band while enjoying delicious southern fare with them before the performance.
Many of these special event tickets were sold on a first-come, first-served basis through the band’s fan club, but others were won through various giveaways and radio contests.
The attendees were given an open pass to all the beer, water and soda they wanted while waiting to help themselves to the delicious and hot buffet.
The authentic, down-home comfort food was prepared by Zac Brown himself, along with Chef Rusty, Brown’s friend and chef on the road.
Something of a food aficionado, Brown is also a chef and former restaurant owner. He opened a combined club and restaurant with his father in 2004 called “Zac’s Place”, which was located in the Lake Oconee area of Georgia.
This business venture was not only a passion of Brown’s, but was also a smart and effective arrangement for the Zac Brown Band who would play there on the weekends, while Brown played alone on Tuesday nights.
Chef Rusty began the evening by introducing the dishes and sharing how the ingredients were actually purchased at the North Market in downtown Columbus that very day.
“Everything here is pretty much local. We went [shopping] this morning and got some local vegetables, meats and cheeses,” Chef Rusty said.
He went on to explain that three of Brown’s personal recipes would be featured that evening including a coleslaw, pork tenderloin and a Georgia clay-rubbed beef tenderloin.
As the hungry concert-goers waited in line to fill their plates with good food, Brown walked around and greeted everyone individually and thanked them for taking time to come out and spend their Friday night with his band.
The remaining members of the group went out of their way as well to join in at the dinner tables, make conversations with the fans and shake as many hands as possible.
The band stayed for the entire time and Brown ended the meal by once again thanking the fans and expressing how truly appreciated they really are.
