Photos and concert review by Kelsey Stanger
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA - Night 1: Aug 6, 2024
Night one of Zach Bryan's Philadelphia concerts redefined wet hot American nights for fans. While the weather forecast wasn't looking great, I don't think many people expected the absolute down pour we were treated to. With gates opening at 5:30pm, the show started out incredibly hot and humid in true Philly summer fashion. It was shortly after openers Levi Turner and Turnpike Troubadours finished their sets that the sky completely opened up and a message came across the stage screen telling everyone of severe weather in the area and to shelter in place away from open seating areas. After trying to wait out the rain a bit, and being very thankful for the poncho I packed, I finally made my way to shelter under the safety of the entrance to my section. As everyone huddled together in the rain an insane amount of wind flowing through the entrance tunnel, many of us expected the worse; that the show would be cancelled. While most artists can play through rain, the thunder and lightening that seemed to be right above us is another situation. You can imagine the cheers that erupted when Zach's crew started setting up the stage and a message telling everyone it was safe to return to their seats came across the screen.
At 10:30pm, two hours after his scheduled start time, with Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" playing throughout the stadium, Zach Bryan took the stage. And it was so worth the wait. Standing in the pouring rain as Zach played some of his most loved songs can only be described as it's own religious experience. People dancing in the rain and singing at the top of their lungs, not caring what they looked or sounded like was an absolute core memory moment.
The set list included a variety of songs off all different albums such as "American Nights," "God Speed," "Nine Ball," "28," "Pink Skies," "Heading South," "Oklahoma Smokeshow," "Hey Driver," "I Remember Everything," and "The Great American Bar Scene." The show was filled with references of Philly thrown into songs and a few "Go Birds" mixed in. He talked of his time living in the city and writing many of the songs he was performing just minutes away from the Linc.
While rumors of whos Zach's surprise guests circulated leading up to the show, with many assuming Eagles players would join him on stage at some point, the biggest surprise of the night had to be that there were no guests at all. This is something I personally wasn't too upset about until seeing Bruce Springsteen himself as well as The Lumineers made an appearance the following night in Philly. Missing out on a live performance from Bruce defiantly stung and felt a bit like night one was Zach's ugly step child he didn't care as much about, while night two was the golden child, even if the lack of guests was due to the rain. My biggest disappointment of the night however was "Something In the Orange" being left off the set list. Those small issues aside, Zach delivered an unreal experience for his fans. With a band whose members are so talented I could watch an entire concert of just their solos, and Zach Bryan delivering emotional and strong performances throughout every single song, without comparison, it was truly one of the most entertaining and memorable concerts I've been to.
Bryan ended the night as usual with his masterpiece of a song "Revival." The 15 plus minute encore felt like a spiritual release. Thousands of fans soaked in the rain singing along together in one of the cities Zach Bryan calls home felt like it's own type of Church.
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