Marcus King Band

Troy Bass, contributor

Opening for country music artist Zach Top, The Marcus King Band treated the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion crowd to a soulful southern rock & country masterclass. Originally touted for their heavy southern-inspired rock & blues riffing, The Marcus King Band has shifted its focus more toward a traditional country sound with the release of the band’s fourth studio LP, Darling Blue (2025), their first record since Carolina Confessions in 2018. This shift isn't surprising. Marcus King himself is constantly evolving his sound in his solo work, with albums charting across blues, rock, Americana, folk, and singer-songwriter genres. I saw Marcus solo a few years back at the House of Blues in Boston and it was quite the night. While this show was very different in terms of the setlist, the high-energy playing from King and his band remains the one constant across all his projects.
 

Opening the show, a recording of The J. Geils Band’s “(It Ain’t Nothin’ But A) House Party” blared as the group took the stage. They ripped straight into a high-energy cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Rock My World (Little Country Girl),” complete with dueling guitar solos from King and fellow guitarist Drew Smithers to get the crowd going. “Falling For The Devil” followed: a brooding, heavy-riff track off the extended version of their latest album, Darling Blue / No Room For Blue, which effectively doubles the length of the original release. Another track off the expanded release, “Lilac Wine,” offered a change of pace: a slower, classic country shuffle with nods of slide guitar from Smithers laced throughout the arrangement and solo.
 

King started the set with a classic Gibson Les Paul before switching to a Fender Telecaster for “Delilah.” Originally a touching piano ballad from his solo work, the track was reworked for the new album into a more uptempo country arrangement, referred to as the "Nashville version." This transitioned smoothly into “Blue Ridge Mountain Moon,” another extended-release track featuring an impressive, perfectly placed keyboard solo from Mike Runyon.
 

King swapped guitars again, going acoustic to bust out the band's longtime hit “Goodbye Carolina,” a touching ballad about grief and loss that he wrote years ago. “Heartlands” followed as the true cornerstone of the new record, perhaps signaling that while the band is rooted in southern rock and blues, their hearts have always belonged to the country music they grew up around.
 

King then announced that the next song was for the “Queen of Tennessee, we sure will miss her,” referring to iconic legend Dolly Parton, who passed away just a few days prior at the age of 80. The band's soulful shuffle rendition of “Jolene” served as a thoughtful, moving dedication. Switching back to his Les Paul, King shouted out the rest of the band: the aforementioned guitarist Drew Smithers and keyboardist Mike Runyon, alongside bassist Eric Vogel, saxophonist Chris Spies, and drummer Jack Ryan. To close out the set, they played the hit single off the new album, “Honky Tonk Hell,” and wrapped up with a high-energy jam that set the stage for Zach Top. My only regret was not seeing them headline in Boston earlier this year when I could have caught twice as many songs!
 

As a fan of Marcus King, I originally bought tickets just to see them, but from what I’d heard of Zach Top, I knew I’d enjoy the rising country star too. While I won't break down his full setlist, I will share a few takeaways: Zach Top is bringing back classic country. Carrying the 80s and 90s sound, he looks and sounds like the lovechild of George Strait and Alan Jackson, delivering thoughtfully written lyrics that break your heart one minute and cheer you up with a cold beer the next. His guitar playing is also worth noting; he’s immensely talented. Midway through his set, he ran through a stripped-down mini-set of bluegrass standards, sending the audience into a frenzy with his lightning-fast picking, while simultaneously singing and smoking a cigarette at the same time. He also paid homage to Dolly Parton with covers of “Here You Come Again” and “Working 9 to 5.” Near the end of the show, he brought Marcus King back onto the stage, expressed his admiration for him, and told the crowd they were going to “jam on this one.” They launched into a subdued arrangement of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me The Breeze,” trading guitar licks and building up tension before exploding into the classic jam we all know and love, complete with horns and piano.
 

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by Zach Top and not at all surprised by his rapid rise. Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion hosted one hell of a honky-tonk Friday night, and it did not disappoint!
 

Marcus King Band Setlist:

• Rock My World (Little Country Girl) – Brooks & Dunn Cover

• Falling For The Devil

• Lilac Wine

• Delilah (Nashville Version)

• Blue Ridge Mountain Moon

• Goodbye Carolina

• Heartlands

• Jolene – Dolly Parton Cover

• Honky Tonk Hell
   

Marcus King Band Members:

• Guitar / Vocals: Marcus King

• Guitar: Drew Smithers

• Keyboards: Mike Runyon

• Bass: Eric Vogel

• Saxophone: Chris Spies

• Drums: Jack Ryan