Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 1997

Well, last night I made my first appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Houston readers know exactly what I'm talking about, but in case you've happened on this site from points outside of Texas, let me explain the phenomenon. Every year, this is the biggest event in Houston. It lasts about 2 1/2 weeks and it is one of the premier rodeo events in the world. Each night, there are rodeo competitions and after the bull ridin' and bronc bustin' a different country music artist performs. The biggest names in country are here. There is also a Black Heritage Day in which Earth, Wind, and Fire played this year, and a Tejano Day with Emilio. In addition to the rodeo events and concerts there is a huge livestock and agricultural trade show. This all takes place in the humongous Astrodome complex.

Clay Walker, 2/24/97

I'm not a huge country fan, but I like good music of about any genre. My sister came along with me and boy was she in heaven. There's nothing she enjoys more than rodeos, country music, and her favorite performer, Clay Walker, who just happened to be in the spotlight last night. I have to say it was a very enjoyable performance. The Astrodome as a venue is a difficult place for any performer. You see, a revolving stage is brought out onto the rodeo floor and the closest audience member to the stage is easily 75 feet away. I have seen performers in the past have problems with establishing contact with the audience in this format, but not Clay. First of all, he came riding out on a beautiful horse with his hat off to the crowd and did a complete circle of the dome before dismounting and grabbing his guitar for the first number "White Palace". He had an excellent rapport with the cameras that were broadcasting his image on the two large screens at opposite corners of the 'Dome. He had the most appealing and sincere smile as he sang crowd favorites "Hypnotize the Moon", "This Woman and This Man", and "Rumor Has It". He had the entire audience (47,000+) singing along to "If I Could Make a Living Out of Loving You" and afterwards commented to his hometown crowd (he's from closeby Beaumont) 'only in Texas'. He even tried his hand at keyboards with covers of "Lean on Me" and "Louie, Louie", and danced around to Van Morrison's "Brown-eyed Girl" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". He sang a new song called "Then What" after introducing some percussionists that added a Jimmy Buffetlike quality with steel drums and bongos. He sang a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" after commenting on the positive nature of his condition with his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis last year. He often came out to the edge of the stage to reach out to the fans and for his final number, exited the stage entirely and ran the entire perimeter of the Astrodome while singing "I Know What Love Is, What's It To You". Then he mounted his horse again for his final circle of the crowd and his last goodbye.

His band was composed of primarily guitars with Clay and one other gentleman on acoustic and an electric and bass. A steel guitar rounds out the strings with regular drummer, special percussionists mentioned above, and a fiddle player. Clay's voice was clear and strong and showed more range than the song's I've heard on the radio. This is a talented person with an excellent stage presence and a sincere appreciation of his audience. Country music lover or not, anyone can find something to love about Clay.

Reba McIntire, 2/26/97

As mentioned above, I wouldn't consider myself a big country music fan, but there are some artists that I have seen and enjoyed in the past. Reba is one that I have seen on two other occasions prior to this week's Rodeo performance. I have to say that I left the Astrodome last night a bit disappointed. The great thing about Reba outside of her outstanding talent, is that her shows are usually more of a spectacle or a gala event than last night's performance indicated. There's usually lots of choreography and many costume changes and a bit of meaningful banter from Reba to the crowd. Often extensive props are used to create the spectacular vision usually associated with her shows. Last night's show was really Basic Reba. She opened with "Why Haven't I Heard From You", after arriving in a convertible. Her band was assembled in a row on stage, having moved from the Astrodome floor where they had been positioned the night before (I talked to a couple of people who attended that show). Reba was recovering from a broken leg received while skiing recently, so her movements were limited, but none of the rest of her entourage picked up the slack either. Reba covered most of her big hits and played a few of the oldies in her repertoire, highlights being "The Greatest Man I Never Knew", a song about her father, and "The World Didn't Stop for My Broken Heart", after describing the anguish felt after the death of her band members in a plane crash several years ago. Linda Davis is still backing up Reba, even though she has had some success on her own. Their duet of "Does He Love You, Like He Loves Me", will always be one of my favorites as it spotlights the vocal range of both singers, so poignantly describing jealousy from both the wife and mistress perspectives. Reba ended with another of my favorites "Fancy", but that was just as the crowd was starting to get into the show. Even though Reba's voice was beautiful and her band obviously filled with talent, this was a lackluster performance in comparison with other times that I've seen her. I guess she's entitled to a flat performance every now and then. I could blame it on the venue, but I saw her handle the removed setting of the Astrodome marvelously last year. If she was in pain from her recent injury, I have to give her credit for showing up. If nothing else, it proves that she doesn't need to be glitzy to display her talent, it's just a lot more fun when she is.

Vince Gill, 3/2/97

Final night at the Rodeo and I've had about all the calf roping I can handle for the next year. However, sitting through the abusive acts against animals was well worth the wait for Vince Gill. Sometimes, when I see him on TV, I wonder why it is that I like him so much. He's usually all dressed up singing a duet with some big-haired country girl. But, all I have to do is remember his live performance at last year's Rodeo, and now tonight's show, to remind me of his unique talent and presence. His performance could not be described as dynamic or flashy. He appeared on stage as the lights came up, no grand entry on horseback or car, and lit right into "Liza Jane", one of his peppier tunes. Dressed simply in jeans and a black shirt, he proceeded to play a mix of ballads and heavier tunes that ranged his entire career as a country performer (he started out in rock as a member of Pure Prairie League in the late 70s). He is an extremely accomplished guitarist, and brought out a different guitar for just about every number. He rocked on guitar solos for "What the Cowgirls Do" and "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away" and strummed rhythmically on the acoustic as he dedicated "Just Look at Us" to George and Barbara Bush. Apparently, he gave George a rough time on the golf course that day, as he nominated the former Pres. for a "hard luck award" for the round they played. He also sang "Ridin' the Rodeo" for the Houston crowd and explained that he was happy that it had recently been re-recorded and released by Perfect Stranger. Two new songs were in the set, "Worlds Apart" and "High Lonesome Sound", with Vince having won a Grammy this week for his recent efforts.

Listening to him sing, I realized a feeling of peace had overcome me. Vince has the voice of an angel, and makes you feel that you are being serenaded by him personally. He sings beautifully whether alone or in harmony. I actually felt his pain when he sang "When I Call Your Name". I'd definitely answer if he called mine. He makes you feel good when you feel bad. Vince's performance appeared easy and comfortable, but the level of talent and professionalism displayed can only be achieved through advanced musicianship and years of experience.

If I have one note of criticism for Vince, it's that I liked his hair better when it was shorter last year, but regardless of his hairstyle, Vince is a talented performer that I will definitely see again. I just have to hold onto this feeling of melancholy joy until Vince night at next year's Rodeo.

On That Note, I'm outta here......

C

Search for your favorites at

Web Site Designed by:  On That Net Productions

Last updated: May 02, 2001