A chilly, damp August afternoon in Boston set the scene for the final Summer Harbor Jam of the season, hosted by Six String Country Music and Country 102.5. Fans lined up and boarded the Provincetown II around 3:00 to find the bands’ equipment was set up inside and that they would stay warm and dry after all. Alec MacGillivray, aka Alec Mac, alongside Mike Godwin and Gabrielle Boyle, fired things up with the Jake Owen hit ‘Anywhere With You.’ “Ready to get drunk?!” Alec yelled out at the song’s close, while the audience applauded and waved their drinks in the humid air. The trio continued on with covers of Blake Shelton’s ‘Boys Round Here,’ Eric Church’s ‘Talladega,’ and Luke Bryan’s ‘Play it Again,’ as the growing crowd sang along to their favorite hits. Around 4:00, a special guest from the audience, who we learned was Nashville singer Jay Taylor, joined the group for a cover of Zac Brown Band’s ‘Chicken Fried.’ The crowd sang along loudly, their voices echoing throughout the lower level of the boat as it began to depart from the dock. After multiple requests from some fans in the audience yelling “These Boots! These Boots!” Alec and friends delivered. They followed the fan-requested tune with a mashup of Thomas Rhett’s ‘Get Me Some of That,’ T-Pain’s ‘Buy You a Drank,’ and Jason Aldean’s ‘Burnin’ it Down.’ Jay Taylor returned for one more performance singing ‘Wagon Wheel’ before Alec, Mike, and Gabrielle closed out their set for the day leaving the crowd pumped up and anxious for more.
During the small break between sets, fans dispersed to replenish their drinks and step outside for some fresh, albeit damp, air. Visibility was limited as the boat was surrounded by nothing but the sea and a thick fog. Without much to see outside, many of the fans made their way back in as the Houston Bernard Band was gearing up to go. Houston’s set differed from the first in that he played many original songs. He opened with his upbeat hit, ‘Country Crowd,’ and had the fans dancing and clapping along regardless of whether they knew the lyrics or not. Bernard introduced his next song, ‘You’re All I Need,’ as “one of the first we wrote for this album.” The tune is a mix of country and rock & roll and the band had a way of bringing their music to life when they performed. Even those who were unfamiliar with the band were enjoying the show. Houston was moving around non-stop; he would dance, spin around, kick, and kept the crowd going throughout his entire set which included his songs, ‘Yoga Pants,’ ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me,’ and ‘It Ain’t Gonna Drink Itself.’ The fans were feeling Bernard’s rockabilly vibes as their cheers were ringing throughout the boat. The Houston Bernard Band ended with the title track of their album, ‘Knockin’ Boots.’ The fun, upbeat song is one you can’t help but dance to, and the fans did just that.
After another short break, Parmalee came out and greeted fans while taking a seat at their respective stools with lead singer and guitarist, Matt Thomas, front and center. His brother, Scott, was behind him on the drums, while bass player, cousin Barry Knox, and guitarist Josh McSwain sat on either side of the lead singer. Throughout the evening, the crowd had inched their way closer and closer to the point where the fans could reach out and touch the band. The guys didn’t seem to be bothered by the close quarters, they were ready to get the party started. “We’re on a boat!” exclaimed Matt to the enthusiastic crowd. Appropriately, one of the first songs the guys played was ‘Day Drinkin.’ Preceding the number, Matt asked, “who’s been drinking all day long?” fans cheered and he dedicated the song to all the day drinkers out there, which was the majority of the crowd.
You can tell that the guys are proud of their down-home roots as they painted a picture of the band’s namesake, Parmele, North Carolina – a small town of only 276 people, back roads, and fake IDs. “That’s what this song’s all about, we’re gonna take you back in the day,” Barry said as he introduced the song, ‘Back in the Day.’ From there the group moved on to their 2014 single, ‘Close Your Eyes,’ and had everyone singing along. Following the well-known hit, they engaged in a little crowd interaction. “When I say good, y’all say time…” Matt started. It went back and forth a couple times before the band announced their next song, ‘Musta Had a Good Time.’
The next section of their set was something they described as “a soundtrack to a Sunday afternoon,” and included the covers of ‘Midnight Rider,’ ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ and ‘Family Tradition.’ Things never got too serious or mellow; Josh jokingly interrupted the set saying, “if y’all could please be quiet, we’re trying to play some music in here,” and had everyone laughing. The guys of Parmalee are hilarious. The quick-witted foursome spoofed the Miley Cyrus song, ‘Wrecking Ball,’ with their own version titled, ‘Fireball.’ The song is about heading to the bar after work to kill time while the traffic dies down. “We can’t have drinks after work because somebody always orders Fireball shots,” Matt explained. Then a happy hour turns into an all-night party as the lyrics describe: “But somebody bought us Fireball / And we would drink it all night long / We never stood a chance at all / The Fireball, it wrecked me.” The guys sang the parody while passing around a small bottle of the cinnamon whiskey, eventually handing it off to a fan in the audience.
The boat must have encountered some rough seas as it rocked aggressively, forcing some fans to lose their footing and grab a nearby pole or friend for balance. “Now we’re rocking!” Barry exclaimed. (Pun intended, I assume.) He got up and switched places with drummer, Scott, for the next round of covers consisting of bits of ‘Summer’ and ‘Am I Wrong’ by Calvin Harris and Nico & Vinz, respectively. “No matter what age these Boston girls are, fellas, they all love to dance,” Matt said before they sang their own, ‘Dance,’ with a little bit of ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ mixed in. A glance out the window showed the Boston Seaport was back in view which meant that Sunday Funday was coming to an end. Parmalee closed their set for the day with their first number one record, ‘Carolina,’ and the boat was docked by the time the song had ended.The guys shook hands with fans before heading back to the upper deck where they waved goodbye to the fans on the ground.
