“It Was Pure Joy Up There”: Kenny Chesney Joins Mac McAnally During Ryman Debut to Perform ‘Down the Road’ and More

Before his passing in 2023, Jimmy Buffett played some of the most iconic and revered stages across the the world - but never headlined Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium, despite this supposedly being a longstanding objective of his.

This weekend, one of Jimmy Buffett's closest friends, collaborators and Coral Reefer Band-members, Mac McAnally, made his debut at the Ryman, with the prolific singer-songwriter making it clear throughout that his pal Jimmy Buffett was there in spirit.

Setting down Buffett's guitar and microphone at the centre of the stage before beginning his performance, Mac McAnally's Ryman set was packed with tributes to the Yacht-Rock trailblazer, along with beloved solo tracks and star-studded guest appearances.

Opening with Buffett's 1978 gem, ‘Son of a Son of a Sailor’, McAnally also treated the adoring, 2,500-strong crowd to spellbinding renditions of hit tracks penned by the genial crooner, including Shenandoah's ‘Two Dozen Roses’ and Alabama's ‘Old Flame’. Aptly, two of McAnally's fellow members of the Coral Reefer Band, Eric Darken and Peter Mayer, joined the ‘Once in a Lifetime’ songsmith during his set.

One of the many highlights of Mac McAnally's Ryman debut, which was permeated by McAnally's trademark sense of warmth and his glass-half-full approach to life, was undoubtedly when country megastar Kenny Chesney emerged for a medley of hits.

Kicking off with an enchanting take on ’Down the Road’, originally released by Mac McAnally in 1990 but revamped by Chesney into a chart-topping duet with McAnally in 2009, the duo showcased their endearing friendship throughout their collaborative performance. ’Down the Road’ captures the magic of McAnally's songwriting - a simple, age-old story, lit up by a feeling of wide-eyed wonder and possibility.

In addition, Mac McAnally teamed up with Kenny Chesney for a deeply moving performance of Jimmy Buffett's ‘Come Monday’, which the two artists delivered with James Taylor as part of Buffett's posthumous Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inauguration last year.

McAnally thanked everyone who made the Ryman Auditorium show possible in an official statement following his set, “Friday night at the Ryman was a singular highlight in an overly blessed life. Surrounded by family and heroes and friends and a magical building full of folks who saw fit to invest time and effort to be there and share it with me. I can't sufficiently thank all who came, worked, played and allowed it to be. But I will never stop trying... Couldn't have happened without Jimmy Buffett. So grateful for Kenny Chesney, Peter Mayer and the force of nature that is Eric Darken. Great sound by Duane Allen and lights by Chaz Martin”.

He went on, “Hard work by everyone at TKO and United Talent. As good a time as I've ever had. I'm overwhelmed and clearly don't know how and when to shut up about it! Thanks to all”.

Kenny Chesney emphasised what was evident throughout the venue, that the driving force behind McAnally's performance was an ambience of contentment and gratitude, “It was pure joy up there on stage at the Ryman with Mac. Sharing stories about writing songs in Key West at Jimmy’s house. I didn’t realize how much I needed that. It was just joyful to be up there playing music with Mac and the guys”.

Kenny Chesney returned to the stage for the rousing finale, joining forces with Mac McAnally for an energising rendition of one of Chesney's earliest No. 1s, ‘Back Where I Came From’, which - like so many other country classics - was penned by McAnally.

The duo remained on-stage for one more track - another Jimmy Buffett cover, this time the wistful ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty’, which Chesney and McAnally performed at the 2023 CMA Awards as part of an emotional tribute to the ‘Margaritaville’ hitmaker. It capped off an evening that was part-homage to one of Mac McAnally's biggest influences, friends and co-writers, and part-celebration of the fact that we were getting to witness of country music's true songwriting titans in action.

For more on Mac McAnally, see below: