On May 5 the members of the cast of ABC’s NASHVILLE brought their tour to the bright lights of New York City for a third consecutive year but this time, Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor) and Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley) graced the stage at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The two-and- a-half hour show consisted of fan favorite songs from the hit show as well as original material by the exceptionally talented artists.
Carmack kicked off the show with Will Lexington’s Biggest Hit “What If I Was Willing,” and introduced Palladio next, who performed one of Gunnar’s top songs “Can’t Get It Right.” Fans were in for a treat as Jackson sang a new song “Kinda Dig The Feeling” that will be a part of a future episode while Bowen sang “Longer” with bandmate and real-life fiancé Brandon Robert Young.
When Bowen introduced Esten, one would have thought someone the size of Elvis walked on to the stage as the crowd went absolutely insane (not much of a surprise though given how adored the character of Deacon is). A fan threw up a “get out of jail free” card on stage (in reference to the previous night’s episode of NASHVILLE) before Esten put more wood on the swooning fire as he sang “From Here On Out,” the song which Deacon sang to his bride Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) on the show.
Once each cast member had their chance of performing one song, the cycle began again with each returning to the stage playing show songs, covers and original material. The talent of all the members is undeniable, however Carmack’s love and passion for the blues was just amazing. He performed “Pieces of You,” the beautiful title track from his debut EP before paying tribute to the late B.B. King with an all-out rockin’ version of “Sweet Little Angel,” complete with an unbelievable guitar solo. Members of the supporting band (some of which also perform on the show) joined Carmack with piano and harmonica solos that turned the Theater at MSG into a blues joint.
There were several standout moments throughout the evening. Jackson belted out “Love Rescue Me” (a Bob Dylan and U2 collaboration) which earned him the first standing ovation of the night. When Jackson brought back out Bowen and Palladio, he commented “Before they were The Exes, they were The Triple Exes” and the trio jammed a phenomenal performance of another fan favorite “Borrow My Heart.” Jackson then exited the stage, leaving Bowen and Palladio to sing a duet from the first season, “Fade Into You.”
Bowen performed an original funky song “Premonition,” with Carmack joining in on sax. She then explained how at one point in her life her younger brother Tim was there to save her life, and now he’s fighting for his, completing his final round of chemo. Bowen will be headed back to her native Australia after the tour to give him “as much bone marrow as I can.” The venue hung on her every word as she sang a song she wrote for her brother (Fight on, fight on little brother with the power and grace of our mother / Fight on, fight on little brother with the power and strength of our father) and gave her a long standing ovation. Bowen was so overcome with emotion; she was brought to tears and struggled at the beginning of “When The Right One Comes Along” but made it through like a true professional.
And that’s what these guys are – true professionals of their craft. They aren’t just acting AS musicians – they ARE musicians: songwriters, singers, and multi-instrumentalists (Carmack played guitar and the saxophone, Jackson played guitar and piano, Palladio played guitar and drums). It’s an element that bonds the group together more than just any television show could. They are family. You can sense on stage just how genuine the respect and love is for each other.
Esten joined Bowen on stage for two duets (“Hand to Hold” and Elvis’ “That’s Alright Mama”) before bringing out his own incredibly talented daughter Taylor Noelle to sing Lennon Stella’s part on the duet “Believing.” Esten then performed “Like New” and “Through the Blues,” which he dedicated to anyone who gets into down-and- out situations like his character Deacon does.
If you have seen the NASHVILLE cast in concert before, you know it’s tradition that the show ends with a sing-along finale with all members on stage and the crowd loudly singing a full chorus on their own of the moving “A Life That’s Good.” It is here where not only the cast feels like family, but the fans do too, as the love between Esten, Bowen, Carmack, Jackson, Palladio and the fans is heart-warmingly exchanged through singing.