Toby Keith summed up today's country music in one sentence. "This just ain't your mama and daddy's country music anymore."
Ironically, Keith comes closer than most new artists who seem to resemble '60s rock 'n' roll more than classic country. (Then again, what does resemble classic country?)He certainly didn't look like the artists my parents used to listen to when he strutted on stage in black leather pants and a black leather jacket. But once he started singing, I knew this was a country boy.
Keith even stayed true to his own personal history by performing in front of a backdrop of oil rigs spread across the Oklahoma countryside. His first song was a familiar one - the title song from his second album - Boomtown.
Keith writes or co-writes most of his successful songs, and after the concert he said he'd rather sing his own music.
"Writing and singing is what I do best," he said. He gets inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, he said. Hence one of his most popular songs, "You Ain't Much Fun (since I quit drinking)." Keith told the audience a friend said something to that effect and sparked the 6-foot-4-inch former oil rig worker into writing yet another hit.
Keith interacted with the audience well, especially the women, who screamed with delight when he sang "A Little Less Talk (and a little more action)." Keith was funny, creative and able to sing the soul right into a song Saturday night at the Huntsman Center.
He improvised at the right times and never slaughtered one of his songs by trying too hard.
The crowd favorites were a song from his soon-to-be-released album, Bluemoon, titled "Hello," and one of his first hits, "I Should Have Been a Cowboy." I loved the lighthearted and definitely fun "Big Ol' Truck," his second song of the night.
The only bad thing about his concert was that it was far too short. Keith makes a trip to Utah at least once a year, which he said is one of the top 10 markets for his albums. His performance was nothing short of thrilling, and even if you're not a die-hard country music fan, listening to Keith sing might make you consider converting.
Singing after Keith was Tracy Lawrence, a fairly new face on the country scene. Lawrence is a little more traditional country than Keith, but sings one of my all-time favorite songs, "Texas Tornado."
Hearing him live made me wonder about the reception on my stereo. I actually think he's better on stage than the radio.
He, too, was great with the crowd and at least acted like he was having an awful lot of fun performing for the audience. His infectious laugh was endearing, and his performance was energizing.
The audience got a treat by hearing several songs from his new album, Time Marches On, including the title song. "Sticks and Stones," his first No. 1 song, and "My Second Home (just became my first)" were still the audience favorites, as well as mine.
Hearing Lawrence and Keith at the same concert was more than a treat. Both men have a way of singing country songs with the guts and emotion they were meant to be sung with.