Chatham County Line
Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines
Friday, Dec. 19, 2014
Chatham County Line’s Holiday Acoustic-Electric set returned with a regional four-show schedule last week. These shows serve as a rite of the season and a yearly gathering of friends. The unconventional annual performance brings frequent collaborators Jay Brown, Zeke Hutchins and Johnny Irion into the fold, joining the core four members.
The performance Friday evening in Southern Pines at the Sunrise Theater was the first for Chatham County Line. The group played a summertime concert series down south earlier in the year and discovered the theater and its history; they decided to bring the holiday series to the quaint theater, too.
After an hour-long acoustic performance, the expanded Chatham County Line took to the stage, each member taking the lead to perform a favorite cover song. In years past, the selections have been topical for one reason or another. This year was no different. Chandler Holt, who recently celebrated the birth of his first child, performed “Gentle on My Mind,” while Jay Brown chose to honor the late Ian McLagan with “Never Say Never.”
As the Electric Christmas performance has always been an interesting mix of songs, the group usually saves Zeke Hutchins’ selection for last. The in-demand drummer hardly ever takes center stage, but he always entertains in those rare moments. Southern Pines was no different as he provided the encore song “Bennie and The Jets,” bringing the evening to a close in fine form.
Chatham County Line & Friends, “Never Say Never”
