5/15    Charlotte, NC             Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
5/16    Raleigh, NC               Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
5/22    Cincinnati, OH           Riverbend Music Center
5/23    Pittsburgh, PA            Post-Gazette Pavillion
5/29    Holmdel, NJ               P.N.C. Bank Center
5/30    Boston, MA                Tweeter Center
6/12    Virginia Beach, VA       Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/13    Washington, DC           Nissan Pavillion
6/28    Cadott, WI*               Country Fest 2009
6/29    Milwaukee, WI            Music Fest 2009
7/11    Calgary, AB               Calgary Stampede
7/12    Craven, SK                Craven Country Jamboree
7/17    Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre
7/18    Cheyenne, WY             Cheyenne Frontier Days
7/24    Indianapolis, IN         Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/25    Tinley Park, IL (Chicago) First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
  *JULIANNE HOUGH NOT APPEARING ON THESE DATES

 

WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY WITH SPECIAL GUEST JAMEY JOHNSON TOUR INFO:

 

March 11           Youkey 
Theatre                                                         
Lakeland, FL
March 12           Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & 
Casino                        Hollywood, FL
March 13           House of 
Blues                                                         Lake 
Buena Vista, FL
March 14           St. Augustine 
Amphitheatre                                       St. Augustine, FL
March 15           House of 
Blues                                                          North 
Myrtle Beach, SC
March 17           Ruth Eckerd 
Hall                                                      Clearwater, FL
March 18           King Center For The Performing 
Arts                        Melbourne, FL
March 19           Marina Civic 
Center                                                  Panama City, FL
March 20           Silver Star Resort & Casino Convention 
Center        Choctaw, MS

April 17-18      Uncasville, CT
April 23           Albuquerque, NM
April 26           Indio, CA
May 1              San Antonio, TX
May 2              Dallas, TX
May 3              Houston, TX
May 7              Des Moines, IA
May 8              Omaha, NB
May 9              Kansas City, MO
May 14            Birmingham, AL
May 15            Shreveport, LA
May 16            Little Rock, AR
May 21            Greenville, SC
May 22            Baltimore, MD
May 23            Columbus, OH
May 27            Atlanta, GA
May 30            Louisville, KY
June 6              Pittsburgh, PA
June 11            Moline, IL
June 13            Chicago, IL
June 19            Somerset, WI
June 20            Fargo, ND
June 24            New York, NY
June 25            Virginia Beach, VA
June 27            Philadelphia, PA
July 2              Ft Wayne, IN
July 10            Calgary, Alberta
July 11            Merritt, BC
July 14            Boise, ID
July 18            San Francisco, CA
July 23             Salt Lake City, UT
July 24-25       Cheyenne, WY
July 29             Lake Tahoe, NV
Aug 6               Orange Beach, AL
Aug 7               Jacksonville, FL
Aug 8              Tampa, FL
Aug 13            Hartford, CT
Aug 15            Boston, MA
Aug 19            Ottawa
Aug 20            Toronto
Aug 22            Detroit, MI
Aug 29            Bristow, VA
Aug 20            Raleigh, NC
Sept. 19         Indianapolis, IN

 

2009 The Paisley Party tour dates:

2-12      London, ONT                John Labatt Centre
2-13      Hamilton, ONT             Copps Coliseum
2-14      Ottawa, ONT                Scotiabank Place
2-17      Winnipeg, MAN            MTS Centre
2-18      Regina, SK                   Brandt Centre
2-19      Saskatoon, SK               Credit Union Centre
2-20      Edmonton, ALB            Rexall Place
2-21      Calgary, ONT               Penngrowth Saddledome
2-24      Vancouver, BC             General Motors Place
2-26      Spokane, WA                Spokane Arena
2-27      Portland, OR                 Rose Garden
2-28      Tacoma, WA                Tacoma Dome
3-1       Yakima, WA                 Yakima Valley Sundome
3-14      Nashville, TN                Sommet Center
             (Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker)

The Zac Brown Band’s CD “The Foundation” is out this week and it’s a refreshing, modern, and very upbeat take on country music. In fact, many will consider Brown more of a rock act because of his stage persona, his attire, and past venues at which he’s played. One listen to this brilliantly crafted cd will remove all doubt that he is indeed country.

Brown was recently signed to the much ballyhooed – now defunct – Live Nation record label. Live Nation made a splash by signing artist to far reaching “360 Deals” that encompass profits from touring as well as merchandise and recording. The label blew up just as “Chicken Fried” was beating all odds on the radio charts with the smash hit “Chicken Fried.” Now Brown stands to profit greatly by hanging out his own shingle.

The Foundation is a joy to listen to. It’s not mainstream… but it combines the best flavors of James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, and rootsy jam band country to create a Zac Brown sound.

The album opens with fan favorite “Toes” the first glimpse of a tropical vacation flavor that would make Kenny Chesney jealous. Next is a song that forced me to drag out the the track listing to figure out. The title is difficult to decipher… The phrase is “she’s got Whatever It Is.” However once you figure it out you can’t get it out of your head.

Brown displays that same unique turn of phrase throughout “The Foundation.” It’s just one of the attributes that makes the cd so special. It’s like nothing else out there… yet it can fit nicely between Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift songs on the radio.

There are several songs that could work as radio songs here and a few that should remain happily as album tracks that define the bands roots.

“Where the Boat Leaves From”, “Free”, and “Different Kind of Fine” are all songs that leave you wanting more.

The big question is will the independent nature of his record label tie him down and make him a one hit wonder or will the Zac Brown Band be able to parlay the success of “Chicken Fried” into getting a few more of these incredible songs heard?

DON’T MISS: The incredibly real and honest feeling “Highway 20 Ride” and although I can’t really relate to living in a van… the building repetitive building and climax at the end of “Free” is worth the price of the entire album.

SKIP: Maybe “Jolene” for drug references.