Seven years ago to the date, the Charlie Daniels band performed a George Jones tribute live at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
On the night of November 22, 2013, Bridgestone Arena was the host to one of the biggest musical tributes the Music City has ever seen. The original intent for the night was for it to be George Jones’ final concert of his career. Instead, the evening was about a night of celebration and an all-star tribute to the singer. He passed away at age 81.
The name of the show, “Playin’ Possum: The Final No-Show,” is a play on Jones’ nickname and reputation. The show lasted for more than 4-hours. It included more than 112 artists performing to a sold-out crowd of 16,000.
The official Twitter account of the Charlie Daniels Band sent a tweet at noon on Sunday. It shows a photo of Daniels playing the tribute.
“ON THIS DAY in 2013, Charlie played “Me and Jesus” at the ‘Playin’ Possum: The Final No Show’ @gjpossum tribute concert at Bridgestone Arena. – TeamCDB/BW #RIPPossum#RIPCharlieDaniels“
An impressive lineup of special guests performed over 50 years of timeless classics. In addition to the Charlie Daniels Band, many other artists also paid tribute to Jones’ legacy.
For example, some of those names include Alan Jackson, Big & Rich, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, George Strait, Greg Bates, Gretchen Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Josh Turner, Kid Rock, Lee Ann Womack, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Shooter Jennings, Stonewall Jackson, Vince Gill, and many more.
Charlie Daniels Band Performs ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ Live for First Time
It was 1979. And country music greatness was unfolding in front of an unsuspecting crowd. Daniels, who died this summer, was hosting the fifth annual “Volunteer Jam” at the Nashville Auditorium.
Daniels, dressed in jeans, a vest and a plaid shirt, very casually introduced the song.
“Here is a song we just finished writing and recording,” Daniels said. “And we are going to do it for the very first time in public tonight…This is called ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.'”
He gave his fiddle a couple of tweaks and tucked in under his chin. Then he talked, sang and played a tale about the devil and a fiddle player named Johnny.
