Audrey GibbsNashville Tennessean
Zach Bryan took to the stage on Sunday, Sept. 24 as a headliner at Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival. The festival, located at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, TN, sold approximately 25,000 tickets for a packed weekend.
Many fans, though, waited in anticipation for the final performance of the festival: Zach Bryan.
Zach Bryan's performance sparkled with no shortage of exciting moments throughout the evening. Bryan hit the stage in a black baseball cap and a graphic tee-shirt, saying to the crowd, "I love you guys so much. Thank you. It’s an honor to be here."
Bryan has been on everyone's mind the past month with release of album "Zach Bryan" on Aug. 25, which included tracks "I Remember Everything" (feat. Kacey Musgraves), "Tourniquet," and "Spotless" (feat. the Lumineers). Bryan released EP "Boys of Faith" on Sept. 22, which included songs with features from Noah Kahan and Bon Iver.
Bryan started off the night with "Open the Gate," singing, "Open the gates, I'm here to ride To-hell-I-go, with daddy by my side." Bryan's voice was strong and powerful, becoming a raspy, soulful growl at points. Alongside Bryan was a boisterous band, which included instrumental virtuoso Lucas Ruge-Jones, who played both fiddle and trumpet.
During his performance of "God Speed," Bryan said, "I’m so thankful each one of you guys came out here. I think music is the most beautiful thing in the entire world. This next chorus is for you," handing over the reigns to audience members to help finish out the song.
While singing "Heavy Eyes," Bryan noticed turmoil in the audience and stopped due to a medical emergency in the crowd. Fans waited for emergency medical services to make their way through the audience. It is unclear as to what exactly occurred, though the high temperatures and dehydration had led to various medical incidents throughout the festival.
Bryan performs 'Heading South' with Fan
As he began playing "Heading South," members of the crowd attempted to summon Bryan's attention. He stopped the song, asking if another medical emergency was occurring. As it turns out, there was no emergency, but there was an audience member holding up a sign, saying he can play guitar and asking to perform "Heading South" with Bryan.
Bryan invited the audience member up, who introduced himself to the crowd as Johnny. Bryan handed Johnny a guitar and posted him at the mic, and the two sang the song together. After the song, the crowd chanted Johnny's name and Bryan shared a moment with the fan.
Guest Appearances
Bryan's set was filled with fun surprise guest appearances. The first came when husband and wife duo The War and Treaty hit the stage to perform "Hey Driver" with Bryan.
A little later in the evening, and as quite the surprise, Bryan welcomed alternative indie singer Noah Kahan to the stage to perform their new song "Sarah's Place." As one of the few guest performers not already on Pilgrimage's lineup, Kahan's unexpected presence had fans astonished. The two delivered a hearty folk performance together, harmonizing on the chorus, singing "Those backyard lights don't shine as bright without your face / Out at Sarah's Place."
As the first song of the encore, Bryan brought The Lumineers to the stage, which he called his favorite band. They performed song "Spotless" while purple lights shined on the stage, singing together "I ain't spotless, neither is you."
Revival
The night ended with an absolute crowd pleaser as the second song of the encore: "Revival."
The song brought about a foot-stomping, hollering uproar while audience members sprayed water bottles and splashed their beer in the air. Bryan went through members of his band one by one and introduced them. In between choruses each member would play a solo on their instrument, ranging from electric guitar riffs to groovy bass runs and furious fiddle licks. Each solo brought cheers from fans. Lights flashed on the stage during the beloved fast-paced 2020 country song.
When it came time to feature banjo player Read Connelly for a solo, he appeared wobbly and faint. As another member of the band propped him up, it was unclear as to whether this would become another medical emergency. After his introduction, though, Connelly dramatically pretended to faint and immediately popped up to animatedly play his solo, pulling a fast one on the crowd, which cheered in response.
The audience sang along and clapped as Bryan howled, "We're having an all night revival / Someone call the women and someone steal the bibles / For the sake of my survival / Baptize me in a bottle of Beam and put Johnny on the vinyl."
Zach Bryan's Pilgrimage Setlist
Open the Gate
God Speed
Fifth of May
Highway Boys
Quitting Time
Tishomingo
Overtime
Dawns
Oklahoma Smokeshow
Hey Driver (feat. The War and Treaty)
Smaller Acts
Something in the Orange
Heavy Eyes
Condemned
Headed South
Sarah's Place
Burn, Burn, Burn
Encore: Spotless (feat. Lumineers), Revival
