Six years later, Zac Brown Band's return to Dick's Open brings friends, family together

An hour before Zac Brown Band took the stage at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott Friday, 8-year-old Ava Miller found a way to pass the time.

It is not unusual to see a white ball taking flight across the 18th fairway at En-Joie, especially during the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.

But at this time of night, with the day's round of golf long ended, it was somewhat strange to see a small plastic ball flying through the air.

"Stop chatting, more throwing," 8-year-old Ava said to her aunt after a momentary pause in their game of catch.

After seeing Old Dominion play at last year's Dick's Open, Ava wanted to come back this year and aunt Theresa Ondrako, 35, her friend Melissa Fisher, 35, and Ava's mother, Colleen Ondrako, 37, decided to pass the time any way they could think of.

"This is like hour three of playing catch," Ondrako said. "We were relay racing earlier."

But the wait is something Theresa Ondrako and Melissa Fisher are used to by now. They have not missed a Dick's Open concert since the first one in 2007.

After 15 years, the Dick's Open stage has seen a variety of acts like Hootie and the Blowfish, Train and Blake Shelton but only the Zac Brown Band has set foot on the stage twice, making local history Friday night.

The Zac Brown Band released their debut album titled Home Grown in 2005, building on their success since with hits like "Toes," "Chicken Fried," "Whatever It Is" and "As She's Walking Away," earning bandmates Zac Brown, Clay Cook, John Driskell Hopkins, Matt Mangano, Coy Bowles, Daniel de los Reyes, Jimmy De Martini, Chris Fryar and Caroline Jones Grammy Awards as well as honors from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

And on Friday night, after a tribute to the late Tim Myers, who died in July last year after leading the Dick's Open since its inception in 2007, a mix of the band's hits, including "Same Boat" off their most recent album released in 2021 titled "The Comeback" and cover songs, like Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" kept the crowd captivated for two hours.

As the setting sun colored the clouds many shades of pink and purple and the crowd around them thickened, Ava and Theresa's game of catch drew to an end.

The crowd gathered on the 18th green turned to face the stage. Zac Brown Band stepped out to greet them, six years after their last performance in the same spot.

So much has changed since then. The band was inducted into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame, earned their 9th Grammy award nomination and band member John Driskell Hopkins, or "Hop," started a foundation called "Hop On A Cure," the same words printed on the hat he wore Friday night, after being diagnosed with ALS late last year.

But when the first notes of "Keep Me In Mind" echoed around the grandstand and deep into the fairway, the feeling was familiar. Hundreds of people sang along together and on stage, Zac Brown turned to the microphone and spoke to the crowd.

“It's great to be here with you all.”

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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Zac Brown Band's return to Endicott brings friends, family together