A boys’ night in ‘Nashville’ on Coney Island

โ€œThe stars of Greyโ€™s Anatomy donโ€™t get to go around the country doing surgery,โ€ quipped Charles Esten at the beginning of his set. Right he is, as Nashville stepped out of the screen and came to New York for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday night (August 5th). This yearโ€™s tour featured less talent from the primetime country music soap, but no less energy and music.

Chris Carmack, Jonathan Jackson, and Charles Esten rocked the brand new Ford Amphitheater on Coney Islandโ€™s boardwalk. The tour was originally slated to feature Clare Bowen, but she fell ill earlier this month and has been ordered by her doctor to sit out the last two weekends of concerts. We here at the The Music Universe wish her well and hope she gets better soon!

Carmack, who plays Will Lexington on the CMT series, was the first act to perform. He kicked off the concert with what has been the go-to opening number since their inception in 2014: his characterโ€™s first hit, โ€œWhat If I Was Willing.” Carmack continued with another older number, โ€œIโ€™m On It,” and his original song, โ€œBeing Alone.โ€ His performance was marked by energy and smoldering faces directed at the women in the front row.

Jonathan Jackson was the next out, performing two numbers from season one, โ€œKeep Asking Whyโ€ and โ€œThe Morning of The Rainโ€. The ladder song is a number Jackson personally wrote and performs with his own band, Enation. His relaxed, stoic energy but powerful voice are no act. As Avery Barkley has matured on the show, these older songs proved an interesting look back at Jacksonโ€™s characterโ€™s brooding past.

Charles Esten has always been Nashvilleโ€™s leading man. But during its four years on ABC, his Deacon Claybourne was overshadowed by the central clash of the titans: Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). Now, with the departure of Britton and an apparent reduction in Panettiereโ€™s role, Estenโ€™s acting and musical talents shines in this fifth season as his character handles personal grief, a family left in turmoil, and business pressures for which Claybourne feels ill-equipped to handle.

So, when Esten took the the stage as the third act, the crowd went their wildest. Described by Jackson in his introduction as the โ€œCaptain of the ship,”ย Nashvilleโ€™s newly-anointed protagonist came bounding on stage with โ€œBuckle Up,” an original not heard on the series, but part of Estenโ€™s #EverySingleFriday project. He released a single every Friday for 54 consecutive weeks. Esten continued his set with fan favorites โ€œSanctuaryโ€ and โ€œLike New.” Estenโ€™s energy and presence were boundless, as though he had been a rock star for decades. Before a brief intermission, the gang gathered on stage for a rousing rendition of David Bowieโ€™s โ€œHero,” with Carmack surprising the audience with his saxophone skills.

CMT orders ‘Nashville’ season six; announces 5B premiere

Upon their return to the stage, Carmack and Esten began teasing the audience with the familiar opening to another Nashville classic. After building up the crowdโ€™s curious tension, Esten screamed โ€œPlease welcome the great LUKE WHEELER!โ€ Out stepped Nashville alum Will Chase, a Broadway veteran with a smokey Kentucky singing voice. He held clutched a cup as he played to the audience during a driving version of โ€œItโ€™s On Tonight,” another fan favorite of the hit TV showโ€™s deep catalogue.

And it is that depth of catalogue that leaves these concerts with more to be desired. For four years, the setlist has only seen incremental change. For instance, โ€œSpinning Revolver,” arguably Carmackโ€™s signature song on the series, has been a noticeable consistent absence. Though, it has been recorded and released in three different studio versions. That said, the point of these tours has always been to show off the TV starsโ€™ real-world musical talents, not just have them sing in character. The setlist manages the challenge of striking this balance quite well.

The second half featured more originals and covers, and a few more numbers from the recent season of Nashville. Chris Carmack brought down the house with the season five equality anthem, โ€œStand Up.” Charles Esten earned an ovation on the slow burning โ€œGood Rain or Jesus,” a song that appeared on the most recent episode. And Jonathan Jackson sent the crowd to the rafters with an emotional cover of โ€œUnchained Melody.”

The concert is a Nashville family affair. The band, led by Colin Linden, moved deftly through the diversity of musical numbers. As well they should: Linden is the music supervisor on the series and acts as band leader on the road. Even the guitar technician on the road is responsible for all the instruments on the series.

Will Chase returned to the stage to close out the main set with Charles Esten, singing “He Ainโ€™t Me.” An inside joke duet, both men were at one point love interests to Connie Brittonโ€™s Rayna James, with Estenโ€™s Deacon winning her heart. The whole cast, including special guest Chase, returned for the traditional closing number, โ€œA Life Thatโ€™s Good,โ€ A song from the second season.

Nashville has always been a show that lived for and because of the fans. Always on the bubble, previous concert tours served to prove to ABC the support the show had from their โ€œNashies.โ€ Now on its cable home at CMT, the show received a confirmed season six renewal in mid-April. the cast was able to relax on this jaunt, strap on their guitars, and celebrate a Life Thatโ€™s, indeed, very Good.

Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey

Matt Bailey is a media producer currently located in Washington, DC. He has worked as a writer, producer, and host in a variety of mediums including television news, podcasting, daytime television, and live entertainment. He joined The Music Universe in 2016. Since then, Bailey has traveled across the country to review hundreds of concerts and interview some of music's biggest hitmakers. Bailey truly believes in the unifying power of experiencing live music. To reach him, please email matt@themusicuniverse.com.