Zac Brown Band performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 6, 2022. Sean Liming/STAFF.

OAKLAND — Zac Brown Band brought a bit of country to the city Sunday night at Oakland Arena during one of the penultimate stops on its Out In The Middle Tour supporting its seventh album, The Comeback.

Brown and his bandmates presented a lively 20-song set split into three acts. Intermissions between each one allowed the stage crew to change over the stage, aiding in his masterful storytelling. The first act started off with the stage set up like a honky-tonk in the deep South, complete with neon lights, TVs and bar. Backup singers doubled as bar patrons, while Brown took center stage, kicking off the show solo on rhythm guitar with “Toes,” from 2008 debut album The Foundation.

Brown introduced a few members of the band with each song. As he played on, he told an entertaining story about how he met each of them as they joined him on stage. Bassist John Driscoll Hopkins and fiddler Jimmy De Martini joined in for “Free / Into the Mystic,” from Pass the Jar – Zac Brown Band and Friends Live. Next, guitarists Coy Bowles and Clay Cook and bassist Matt Mangano came out for “Whiskey’s Gone.” Daniel de Los Reyes and newer member Caroline Jones joined on drums and guitar to round out the ensemble for “Dixieland Delight.”

Zac Brown Band performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 6, 2022.

Once the entire band was assembled, Zac Brown finished out the first act with “Wild Palomino” and “Same Boat,” from 2021’s The Comeback.

For the second act, the honky-tonk disappeared. Now, the band stood on a multitiered bandstand. The players jumped right in with “Keep Me In Mind,” from 2010’s You Get What You Give before performing a lively cover of “Enter Sandman” by the Bay Area’s own Metallica, which was met by great applause and participation from the audience. Next up was “Out In The Middle,” which the band ended with a high-spirited drum solo before transitioning to “Lovin You Easy,” from 2015’s Jekyll + Hyde.

Show-opening artist Robert Randolph joined the band with his pedal-steel guitar along with fiddler Carlos Reyes for “GA Clay.” The second act closed out with “Knee Deep / You Are The Best Thing” and a dynamic cover of Charlie Daniels Band classic “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” featuring vibrant solos from the fiddle players and Brown.

Zac Brown Band performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 6, 2022.

The third act was nothing short of a house party.

Zac Brown Band kicked off with a monster medley that included “That’s The Way,” “Brick House,” “Kiss,” “Sir Duke,” “Cruisin’,” “Poison,” “Sledgehammer,” “All Night Long,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “A Natural Woman,” “Happy” and “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Various band members (including Jones, Reyes and Robert Randolph) sang lead superbly while attendees danced and sang along.

The band slowed it down after covering of Silk Sonic’s “Fly As Me” and returned to Brown’s songbook with “Colder Weather,” from 2010’s You Get What You Give. Brown struggled to hit the higher vocal ranges required here, but the band remained tight. The song was performed as a medley with another downtempo song from the same album,”Take It To The Limit.”

Robert Randolph performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Nov. 6, 2022.

At this point, Brown paused the show to introduce a 100-year old WWII veteran before launching into “Chicken Fried” and closed out with “Homegrown.” The crowd remained on its feet for all three sets.

Robert Randolph and The Family Band opened the concert.  The masterful pedal steel guitarist masterfully played accompanied by a bassist, guitarist, drummer and brass section, featuring two saxophonists and a trumpeter. The band covered songs from 2017’s Got Soul and 2019’s Brighter Days. Artfully leading with strong, clear vocals and dressed in a shiny blue sequined jacket, Randolph entertainingly encouraged the audience to participate, clapping his hands and stepping from behind his seated position, animatedly running back and forth across the stage.

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel. Follow photographer Sean Liming at Instagram.com/S.Liming.