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A.J. Croce Expertly Plays Croce at Captivating Hometown Concert in Nashville
Acclaimed musician and singer-songwriter A.J. Croce brought his much-anticipated Croce Plays Croce show to the Mother Church on Sunday, October 12, 2025. The warmly received two-hour plus presentation at the Ryman Auditorium was a substantial introduction to his own immense talent and prolific canon of music as well as a touching tribute to his late father's revered body of work.
A.J. Croce and company presented classic hits and contempory songs at the Ryman. How A.J. Croce - the son of two musically inclined parents - became a world class piano player and a child prodigy is a complicated and sometimes troubling story in its own right. But, it is one that has led directly to A.J.'s very unique career path in the music industry. After finding solace in music and his deceased father's record collection the younger Croce became a hot commodity behind the keys. As he told the Ryman faithful - as a teenager he quickly found himself sharing the stage and touring with a mind blowing list of legendary musicians including BB King, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Willie Nelson. This early exposure led to record deals of his own and a fairly prolific output over the course of more than three decades that began with his critically-acclaimed self-titled debut in 1993. But, it wasn't until only very recently that A.J. Croce begin adding his father's music into his live repertoire resulting in a show that very much proves in A.J.'s case that the fruit has not fallen very far from the tree. "This tour is more than a tribute to my father and more than a showcase of my own music - it's the meeting of my roots and a declaration of my individual artistry," A.J. said of this current leg that is scheduled to run through November before picking back up again in 2026. "This is a journey through soul and sound." "In playing Croce Plays Croce, you know, every night we're going to play the hits," A.J. told MCN's Rockin' Rich Lynch and Dallas Jack of Spade Creative in a pre-show interview that covered a lot of ground in telling the younger Croce's story in the music biz. "The deep cuts are kind of determined in real time and by the audience and what they want to hear."
A.J. Croce has hit upon a winning formula with the ongoing "Croce Plays Croce" tribute concert series. True to his word about halfway through the show on Sunday night A.J. opened up the floor to requests and a flurry of screams rose through the Ryman's rafters. When one fan inevitably yelled out "Freebird", A.J. was ready with the perfect response. "Tomorrow night is Croce Plays Skynyrd!" The concert opened and closed with a bevvy of Jim Croce hits including the signature autobiographical number "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", the set closer "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and the encores consisting of "I Got a Name" and "Time in a Bottle". In between Croce regaled the audience with a number of hilarious stories including two about phone calls that served as a great lead in to "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" and a cautionary tale from a recent trip riding on a Greyhound bus.
A.J. Croce was stunningly good behind the grand piano in Nashville. Throughout the night Croce featured a number of pleasing songs from his most current release Heart of the Eternal and a pair of tunes he co-wrote with the legendary Leon Russell. Another humorous high-point came when he told the story about being commissioned to write a jingle for a Japanese ad campaign that resulted in a solid track called "Hung Up (On You)" that was played in its complete form for fans at the Ryman.
"Music has given me everything: it's taught me patience and compassion and empathy; it was my refuge and my religion when I lost my sight as a kid," he says. "When I look back at the music that's inspired me the most, it's the music that has real depth and soul to it, whether that's Little Richard or Otis Redding and Hank Williams or Fiona Apple. Anything that makes me feel is meaningful to me, and I hope that everyone can find that same connection with all of these songs."
A.J. Croce's fine five-piece backing band were up to the task providing the perfect inspiring soundtrack to his catalogue and his father's classic tracks that was no doubt complete with depth and soul with a couple of remarkable solo piano recitals thrown in for good measure. A.J. - seemingly happy to be home if just for one night - was a warm and personable host in Music City and proved why thirty years on from his fast start in the biz that his star remains on the rise as his audience continues to grow with each passing tour and record release. Just like his dad, A.J. has got a name of his own as he proudly and professionally keeps the family business and legacy alive and thriving in 2025.
MCN's Rockin' Rich Lynch and Dallas Jack of Spade Creative interviewed A.J. Croce prior to his concert as the recently revamped Ryman Auditorium. Related Links: For more information on A.J. CROCE and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - A.J. Croce | Ryman Auditorium
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