By Donald GibsonAlan Jackson, country music, DVD review, Eric Church, Faith Hill, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Ray Benson, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill
When George Strait announced in late 2012 that he would retire from the road at the culmination of his forthcoming concert tour in 2014, the final gig on the schedule suddenly became a very big deal.
How big? Well, the concert (held on June 7, 2014 in Arlington, Texas) ultimately set a new North American indoor-concert attendance record — a distinction held by the Rolling Stones since 1981 — with nearly 105,000 fans packing into AT&T Stadium. Added to that was the gaggle of special guests (including Alan Jackson, Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney) that showed up to salute and sing with Strait, with each artist helping out on a pair of songs each. Then, of course, there was King George himself, who over the past three and a half decades has garnered more Number One hit singles than any other artist in popular music, period.
What could not have been fully anticipated was the sheer emotion of the event, something which the new Eagle Rock DVD/Blu-ray release of The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium, so often conveys.
Strait is an increasingly rare figure in modern country music, a traditionalist whose appeal and no-frills, “just the songs, thanks” live appearances have endeared him to mainstream audiences of all ages. In watching him perform hit and after hit here — from “Check Yes Or No” to “Amarillo By Morning” to “Unwound” — it’s not difficult to see why, either.
For what it’s worth, the performance that garners the biggest ovation from the crowd is not even one of the all-star duets but rather an understated rendition of “The Chair,” which Strait delivers on his own with the elegant command and conviction of a seasoned actor on the stage.
Whether or not the concert captured here proves to be the last of his career, it’s a fitting tribute to the timelessness of George Strait’s singular vintage of country music.
By Donald GibsonAlan Jackson, album review, Allen Toussaint, Bob Seger, CCR, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dawes, Foo Fighters, Jennifer Hudson, John Fogerty, Miranda Lambert, My Morning Jacket, Tom Morello
John Fogerty is one of those indispensable figures in rock ‘n’ roll, having penned some of the most enduring and relevant songs in its history. The music he made with Creedence Clearwater Revival, particularly, struck such a crucial nerve in the era of Vietnam and Kent State and Watergate that’s it’s of little wonder why those songs have continued to matter to people in more recent years of rampant war and social and political unease. It’s also among the most distinctive music ever made, from John Fogerty’s countrified drawl to the thick-and-sturdy rhythm section of bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford to guitarist Tom Fogerty’s crunchy riffs. Covering such classics would be a tall order for anyone, but for the guy who wrote them to revisit them invites an altogether different kind of scrutiny.
These songs were built to last, though, and with Wrote a Song for Everyone (Vanguard Records) Fogerty has found new ways for them to thrive. A slew of guests join him here, adding new energy and in some cases new perspectives to some of his most familiar CCR and solo recordings.
It’s not hard to understand how country artists could feel an affinity for this music — old Creedence albums arguably sound more country than a lot of mainstream country does today — and contributions from Alan Jackson on “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and Miranda Lambert on the title track, which also features Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, are among the album’s most compelling moments.
Other highlights emerge when the guest artists effectively make the songs their own. Bob Seger, for instance, sings “Who’ll Stop the Rain” like he’s been singing it for years already. Same thing with Dawes and My Morning Jacket, who yield fresh insights to “Someday Never Comes” and “Long As I Can See the Light,” respectively. And on “Proud Mary,” Jennifer Hudson recalls an Ike and Tina vibe to an otherwise Cajun-twisted arrangement courtesy of Allen Toussaint in grand, Southern-fried style. Fogerty is on hand throughout, of course — he sings two new tracks on his own, “Mystic Highway” and “Train of Fools,” which are as good as anything he’s written since his CCR days — but the songs are the real stars of this all-star album.
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