A historic house just behind the Grey Eagle  Music Hall in Asheville’s River Arts District was aflame, in fact it could be called “A Ring of Fire,” but the conflagration merely delayed the start of the Jan. 7 performance of the tribute band, Cash Unchained: The Music of Johnny Cash.

Indeed, at the time the concert was scheduled to start, the Grey Eagle was surrounded by fire trucks, with water hoses crisscrossing its parking lot and surrounding streets and firefighters scrambling.

However, the 90-minute show with no intermission had to go on — and it did and began only an hour late ... at 9 p.m.

As the small crowd of, at most, 50 people shuffled in through the smoke during the show, the contrast of a tiny turnout with the projected sold-out concert that was expected, was stark.

To lighten things up and keep to what appeared to be the theme for the night, the DJ before the concert played a series of recordings fearuring fire, including “Burning Down the House,” a 1983 hit by The Talking Heads, “Light My Fire” by The Doors; and “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix, among many such songs.

As the show started, the Virginia-based band’s 18-year-old lead singer, James Tamelcoff III, captured Cash’s trademark baritone voice. As advertise, the band delivered “the infectious, driving rhythm of the Tennessee Three.” There also was an unidentified woman who sang a few songs with Tamelcoff, playing the role of June Carter Cash, his talented wife. A highlight of her stage appearance was a rollicking, fun duet on the classic song “Jackson.”

The show started with “Folsom Prison Blues,” followed by “The Orange Blossom Special” and “I Walk the Line.”

At that point, Tamelcoff told the crowd, “That... that was unexpected — the fire.”

When a woman in the crowd yelled out request for “Ring of Fire,” Tamelcoff replied, “I guess that that’s appropriate. Let’s do it.”

As the band launched into “Ring of Fire,” the crowd cheered enthusiastically. It was surreal, given that there was still a house aflame behind the music hall.

Later, Tamelcoff asked for requests, at which point the band and him performed “God’s Going to Cut You Down,” followed by “A Boy Named Sue.”

Another highlight of the show was a part, toward the end of the concert, where Tamelcoff, as Cash, is joined on stage by characters performing as The Highwaymen, which included Willie Nelson

In promoting the concert, the Grey Eagle noted, “Take a journey back in time to the life and music of ‘The Man in Black performed by Cash Unchained. The band has been nationally sought after while touring all over U.S. bringing the sights and sounds of the legendary Johnny Cash.

“Johnny Cash may not have been the greatest singer or musical technician, but his sound was unforgettable. Steady like a train, sharp like a razor, with the perfect blend of country, rock ‘n’ roll, and folk music, Cash paved the way for artists of all genres for years to come. 

“Without Johnny Cash, we wouldn’t have some of the finest music we’ve all enjoyed over the past six decades,” a Grey Eagle press release noted.