As Jake Owen flew back to Nashville after a memorable, three-day visit to his hometown, the platinum-selling, country-music star couldn’t have been more pleased with the way the weekend went.
Two rousing performances at the Riverside Theater. Thousands of dollars raised for his foundation. And, to top it off, a fun-filled afternoon of golf with his dad, twin brother and Jordan Spieth, the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion.
“The only way to describe it,” Owen said after Sunday’s final round of the 70th Indian River Grapefruit Pro-Am at Vero Beach Country Club, “is that it was pretty surreal.”
Especially the golf.
Even before former tennis great and longtime Vero Beach resident Ivan Lendl joined the 200-plus spectators who followed Owen and Spieth around the course, another local celebrity – Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax – stopped by the practice green to meet Spieth.
Shortly afterward, Spieth opened his round by doing his best “Happy Gilmore” impression, taking a couple of steps before blasting his tee shot.
“That,” Owen said, “was wild.”
Owen and Spieth became buddies after being paired together in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am a few years ago, and the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer agreed to come to Vero Beach last weekend to return a favor.
“I’ve helped him with his charity event the past few years – playing golf, doing a show – and he was just returning the favor,” Owen said. “He wasn’t able to get here in time to play Saturday, but he wanted to play Sunday.”
First, though, Spieth joined Owen on stage Saturday night.
Owen introduced Spieth to the sellout crowd – the second in two nights at the local theater, which seats just under 700 – then asked him to help belt out Garth Brooks’ country-bar anthem, “Friends in Low Places.”
“He didn’t know that was coming,” Owen said. “I put him on the spot.”
Asked if Spieth sings as well as Owen plays golf, Owen chuckled.
“No,” said Owen, who plays to a single-digit handicap, “and it’s not close.”
Remember: Owen grew up wanting to be a professional golfer and went to Florida State on a golf scholarship, only to suffer a shoulder injury while wakeboarding.
It was while recovering from the injury that Owen taught himself to play the guitar, began writing songs and sang for tips at Tallahassee pubs. During breaks from school, he would return to Vero Beach and perform at the Riverside Cafe.
Eventually, Owen dropped out of college and moved to Nashville to chase a career in country music, earning recognition as the Academy of Country Music’s “Top New Male Vocalist” in 2009, recording a dozen hit songs and headlining his own tours.
But he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
In recent years, Owen has brought his tours to Vero Beach, using the concerts at Dodgertown to raise funds for his foundation, which benefits the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and youth programs here.
This year, however, a scheduling conflict derailed the Dodgertown concert, so Owen decided to do a more-intimate, small-venue show at the Riverside Theater. When the Friday night show sold out in under 30 minutes, he added a Saturday night show.
Performing with Vero Beach’s Scotty Emerick – an award-winning songwriter best known for his work with Toby Keith – and fellow songwriters Jimmy Ritchie and Phillip Wise, Owen delighted the crowd with wide range of songs and genres.
In addition to singing a handful of his own hits, Owen and friends covered songs from Merle Haggard, Ronnie Millsap and Hank Williams Jr. to Jimmy Buffett, the Beastie Boys and the ‘80’s rock band, The Outfield.
During Friday night’s performance, Owen stopped the show and asked for a moment of silence to remember Joey Kazen, the longtime general manager at Bobby’s Restaurant and outstanding local golfer who died Nov. 14 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer.
“It broke my heart to hear that news,” Owen said.
Owen closed the show with his hit song, “Barefoot Bluejean Night,” then took a few selfies with fans’ smartphones before leaving the stage.
“See you around town,” he said.
Owen stopped by Bobby’s after the show, then headed home to rest up for his 8:30 a.m. tee time. He did not make his usual visit to the Riverside Cafe, where, in years past, he would drop in and give an impromptu performance.
“I went there Saturday night with Scotty, but Jake and Jordan didn’t go out after the show,” said Owen’s fraternal twin, Jarrod. “They were supposed to go fishing (Sunday) morning, but they didn’t make it.”
Just as well: During Friday night’s pre-concert auction, a member of the audience bid $10,000 for a 30-minute putting lesson from Spieth, who is generally considered to be the world’s best putter.
“Jordan has been such a good friend for a long time,” Owen said. “To have him come to our small town to help out and bring additional awareness to this event and the Vero Beach Country Club, it’s just very special.
“He’s such a classy, respectful guy; a true gentleman,” he continued. “Everybody knows he’s the No. 1 golfer in the world, but the people that came out and followed us around the course got to see who he is as a person – signing autographs, posing for pictures, interacting with the crowd.
“I try to surround myself with people like that,” he added. “It’s an honor to bring someone like him to Vero Beach.”
When Owen left town Sunday night, he was accompanied by his mother, Mitzi, who will help him prepare his home for the rest of the family, which plans to spend Christmas in Nashville.
His weekend here, however, gave him something to think about.
“It was a big deal to break down the act and do a smaller, more-intimate show, but I think it worked well,” Owen said. “Everyone really seemed to enjoy it, being more up-close and personal.
“We do the acoustic thing from time to time, and it’s different,” he added. “But the way this went, I might have to consider adding a few more of these shows. It was a great time.”
