We got decent seats on the right side of the stage 11 rows up, though blocked by some speaker cables. There was a surprise opener 20 minutes before showtime, Adam Wright, a singer-songwriter who played solo with an electric guitar for four songs. It wasn't nothing much, and later I found out he's Jackson's nephew.
At 7:30 sharp, Lee Ann Womack and band took the stage for an 11 song 50 minute set that was superb. This is the third time I've seen her, all as an opening act for bigger stars. She ran through most of her well known songs, as well as some new material. She also played Lord I Hope This Day Is Good, as a tribute to Don Williams who passed away earlier. The set was over way too quick. Again she is superb as an opening act, well known with "songs you've heard of," as she said during the show and musicality thoroughly on the country side. I find it greatly ironic that someone who came to fame as a crossover star in Shania's wake, is a standard bearer for what is real country music.
Set List
Does My Ring Burn Your Finger
Never Again, Again
A Little Past Little Rock
I'll Think of A Reason Later
All The Trouble
Long Black Veil
Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good
I May Hate Myself in The Morning
The Way I'm Livin ????
Ashes By Now
The set change took about 25 minutes and Mr. Jackson hit the stage at quarter til nine, with an introductory video and Gone Country, or at least a snippet of it, with him just singing the chorus. The first thing I noticed and my mom mentioned after the concert, it looked like he had trouble moving, whether it's drink, old-age, bad leg, too tight jeans and boots or some combination. In fact he'd take rests on a stool, between songs as a different member of his eight-piece band was allowed an intro-jamming at least once. But he seemed to get more lively as the evening got going, telling the audience, "..stand up and dance, sit and enjoy the music, we're pretty laid back up here," as well as pointing out some of the handmade signs the audience were holding up.
Jackson like his neo-traditionalist friend and ally George Strait, is a living legend that has enough number ones to make a concert just on those alone. He pretty much played the more well known ones and I was pressed to think of ones that I was disappointed he didn't play. His cover of It Must Be Love, was the closest especially for a Don Williams tribute, as one he didn't play . Jackson was a master showman, working the crowd signing autographs, throwing t-shirts to the crowd and name-dropping Missouri with lyric changes multiple times in songs. This is a contrast to Strait, who is more old school without the showmanship and I've heard compared to being more like a jukebox in concert. Not to mention the aforementioned Strayhorns band of Jackson, getting time to shine and vamp on solos.
The song that stuck out best was As She's Walking Away, with Jackson giving Zac Brown's part to one of his sidemen(complete with making him wear the stocking beanie). There was nothing really special about it, but it kept it with the theme of the song, without having to resort of video screens and let Jackson play the wise barroom sage...
Overall it was a good concert, but nothing spectacular. Again, someone with so many hits, it makes highs and lows of a show scarce. The biggest disappointment for me was the length. The show was roughly only 90 minutes long. Even though with a great opening act, I got my money's worth, for the ticket price and $10 gouging for having to pay for parking, it should have been a little longer and closer to two hours. The other mild disappointment for me could have remedied both, was the truncated versions of Gone Country (chorus only), Here in the Real World and Chasing That Neon Rainbow (first verse and chorus on each). Those are three of his best and a couple I like better, so I enjoyed getting just those, but the overall length of the concert made me wish for the complete songs...
As I said the man is a living legend and Country Music Hall-of Famer(or soon-to-be) and was glad to be able to see him in concert as well as take my mom to see another of her favorites.
Set List
Gone Country (Snippet)
I Don't Even Know Your Name
Livin' on Love
The Blues Man
Who's Cheating Who
Here In The Real World > Chasing That Neon Rainbow>As She's Walking Away
Little Bitty
Drive
Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning
Don't Rock the Jukebox
Remember When
Good Time
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
Chattahoochee
Where I Come From
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Mercury Blues
St. Louis Post Dispatch Review Here
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