Something for every taste in WYRK country concert
The annual Taste of Country concert sponsored by WYRK-FM is aptly named — Friday’s event was like several different shows in one, depending on when you were there and where you were.
Take Randy Owen’s set, for example. Owens — best known as a key member of longtime country supergroup Alabama— led the crowd through a sing-along set of his old band’s hits.
Owen — the lineup’s elder statesman—radiated the confidence of a performer who has nothing left to prove, throwing out quips, letting the crowd fill in key phrases and sharing the spotlight generously with a band that included Wade Hayes — a recording artist of some note himself — and hotshot fiddler Megan Mullins.
On the outfield of Coca-Cola Field there was more beer flowing than Coke, and the vibe was similar to a 1980s Rich Stadium Southern rock show (with a few less pharmaceuticals). Owen and his band were serving as soundtrack to the infield party as the sun set over the first base wall of the park.
Owen stole the show for perhaps the widest swath of the audience simply on the strength of the Alabama songbook — songs like “Song of the South,” “Mountain Music” and “Dixieland Delight.”
If Owen’s songs were classics, Craig Morgan’s epitomized the new country you’ll hear on WYRK and most of the other major country radio stations nationally. It didn’t seem out of place when he and his band went into Bad Company’s classic rock standard “Rock & Roll Fantasy.”
Seen from the upper reaches of the stadium after dark had fallen, Morgan’s set had more of a rock show feel with the 42- year-old solidly in the spotlight as he mixed singer-songwriter-style ballads like “Almost Home” (about a homeless guy who has almost reached home — in his frozen dreams), rural pride anthems (“International Harvester”) and ’70s covers (he also went into Steve Miller’s “The Joker”).
Given that there was a baseball field between the fans in the stadium seats and the stage, the big screen on the scoreboard was the main way most of the fans connected with Morgan, making the video crew a key element of the show and turning Morgan into a big screen star.
The same proved true for Blake Shelton, the nominal headliner of the night’s show. By the time he hit the stage, the field was dark and the field-level fans had settled into place. All the previous bands’ equipment had been cleared away, the lights were on full power and the stage was his alone as the band had room to back away.
Although he opened with the raucous “The More I Drink,” Shelton added a bit of crooner to the mix, including a Conway Twitty cover, and effectively mixed his ballads with some self-deprecating humor.
After he blew through a quick version of the ad he did for freecreditreport.com, he quipped, “When I do crap like that, don’t forget my initials are
B. S.”
Shelton’s stage presence — combined with judicious use of the extreme close-up shot — helped him maintain his hold on the crowd as he rolled through a series of slower radio hits, leading to the bigger crowd pleasers like “Austin” at the end.
Opener Julianna Hough, on the other hand, showed she has a way to go before she can master the stage like the night’s other three performers. The TV dance star (“Dancing With the Stars”) seemed to be trying too hard at times. The 21-year-old has the pipes, and her stage moves were reminiscent of a 1970s stadium rocker, but the energy was just a little too compressed
and perky for her 25-minute set, which centered around her minor hits “That Song in My Head” and “My Hallelujah Song.” Her 1970s cover? The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight.”
Concert Review
WYRK Taste of Country
Featuring Blake Shelton, Craig Morgan, Randy Owen and Julianne Hough on Friday night at Coca-Cola Field.
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