As if the special appearance from duet partner Kacey Musgraves wasn’t enough excitement on the opening night of his Quittin’ Time Tour, Zach Bryan also surprised fans with a few unreleased songs peppered into his 26-song setlist. Bryan teased the tour setlist earlier this year on X, which originally featured a whopping 29 songs. A few of the entries quickly caught fans’ attention, most notably being one titled ‘Great American Bar Scene’. Over the last several months, the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer has posted several acoustic clips of the tune which is widely expected to be the title track for his forthcoming album.
If you’ve been following the hitmaker for a while, you know that this title also holds special significance as he often posts Instagram stories of his dive bar hangs with the same phrase written across it. During the opening night of his highly-anticipated 2024 trek, the Chicago crowd was treated to the first-ever full performance of the song and it did not disappoint. As he sauntered around to the four mics sprawled across each side of the in-the-round stage, ‘Great American Bar Scene’ sounds like a quintessential Zach Bryan tune with his acoustic guitar and rugged vocals holding steady as his trusty band builds throughout. From bad bets to bar brawls and neon-tinged slow dancing, the song quickly won over his ravenous fans as they clapped along to the beat and undoubtedly tried to commit the lyrics to memory.
Elsewhere during The Quittin’ Time Tour’s opening night, Bryan played another unreleased track titled ‘Better Days’, which he originally teased on socials last year. “This song means a lot to me. I wrote it probably during the best time of life with my best friend in the same room,” he said as he introduced the track, likely referring to his girlfriend, influencer Brianna Chickenfry. “I’m just really excited for the new record.” With a welcomed levity running throughout, the new song feels like a burst of optimism from the entertainer who generally focuses on more melancholy prose. “Them better days always come back again,” he sings to close out the first verse, continuing on to share some of the lessons he’s learned and his hopes for the future.
For the other 23 songs of his momentous set, Bryan offered up a slew of staples from his beloved discography, including ‘Open the Gate’, ‘God Speed’, ‘Heading South’, ‘Burn, Burn, Burn’, ‘Nine Ball’ and the anthemic finale, ‘Revival’, among a long list of others. Bryan has two more shows slated for Chicago’s United Center before he takes his Quittin’ Time Tour to the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 9.
The Great American Bar Scene is here. Zach Bryan is celebrating Independence Day by releasing his fifth album, less than a year after the last one. The man does not stop. Last summer, the superstar alt-country singer-songwriter released his self-titled LP, which spawned his first #1 hit, the Kacey Musgraves duet “I Remember Everything.” He’s since kept up a busy tour schedule, bringing his rousing live show all over America (I caught it last month — great experience!), dropped the Boys Of Faith EP, released a video starring Matthew McConaughey, been through an arrest and a car wreck, and welcomed figures like Sexyy Red and the “Hawk Tuah” girl to the stage, among lots of other activity.
Somehow, he had time to make a new 19-song album during that span. The Great American Bar Scene includes Bryan’s recent singles, the transcendent “Pink Skies” and the Noeline Hoffman collab “Purple Gas.” It also has features from some huge names, headlined by none other than Bruce Springsteen, who recently performed with Bryan in Brooklyn. Springsteen guests on the “I’m On Fire”-esque “Sandpaper,” which Bryan has been performing live lately. John Mayer, who also recently performed with Bryan, shows up on “Better Days,” while Bryan’s fellow Oklahoman John Moreland appears on “Memphis; The Blues.” And on “Bass Boat,” Bryan’s close friend Morgan Meinhart, who previously sang on the 2022 triple album American Heartbreak, lends some uncredited backing vocals. “I always knew this song Zach wrote was special,” Mayer wrote on Instagram. “I had no idea how beautiful, powerful, and deep an album it would be a part of. I’m stunned.”
Like all Zach Bryan albums, The Great American Bar Scene is a lot to take in, and you can take it all in below.
The back up on ‘Bass Boat’ is my photographer, Louie Nice’s fiancé Morgan Meinhart, she was on American Heartbreak with me as well and these two people are my family and my people. It’s an honor to make music with people who have been around forever in your life
— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) July 4, 2024
@ thegreatamericanbarscene IS UP AND OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS ON INSTAGRAM, I’LL BE RUNNING IT ALL YEAR
— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) July 3, 2024
The Great American Bar Scene is out now on Warner. Bryan is accepting submissions for his @thegreatamericanbarscene account on Instagram, which currently features some of Bryan’s own footage from bars across America.
The 19-track project includes 18 songs and a poem and features Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer.
What’s better than some new country music on the Fourth of July? Zach Bryan unveiled his highly anticipated new album, The Great American Bar Scene, on Thursday (July 4) via Warner Records. Guests on the set include Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, Noeline Hofmann and John Moreland.
Leading up to the album’s release, Bryan sent the songs on tour to nearly two dozen bars across the United States and Canada to preview tracks from The Great American Bar Scene early. “My intent with all this is to give everyone an early glimpse of this album, but more importantly, this is in the spirit of bringing people together for a memorable moment,” Bryan said on Instagram. “I have chosen 23 bars across the country that embody the spirit of American culture. These bars will play select cuts from The Great American Bar Scene starting June 24th. As much as I’d kill to play all these timeless bars, it won’t be possible. I will be visiting a few off the list to have a drink with y’all. The Great American Bar Scene will be released on July 4th. With love from the road, ZB.”
The 19-track project includes 18 songs and a poem, led by previously released tracks “Pink Skies” and “Purple Gas.” A double vinyl version of The Great American Bar Scene is also slated to be released on Oct. 10. In addition to prepping new music, Bryan has been headlining his Quittin’ Time tour, which welcomes a slate of openers including Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours and The War & Treaty.
Listen to The Great American Bar Scene below.
Source: Various sources
