Sunday, August 8, 2004

Concert shows why Jackson is a country superstar
By GENE STOUT

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER POP MUSIC CRITIC

Country superstar Alan Jackson offered a surefire cure for the summertime blues Friday night at KeyArena.

		MUSIC REVIEW
	ALAN JACKSON AND MARTINA MCBRIDE WHEN: Friday night WHERE: KeyArena

An added bonus -- and it was a big, big bonus -- was an opening set by Martina McBride, the 2003 CMA female vocalist of the year.

Backed by his seasoned nine-piece band, the Strayhorns, Jackson opened with the down-home anthem, "Gone Country," the same song that kicked off his concert last fall at White River Amphitheatre. But this time Jackson played a longer set and spent more time signing autographs for fans -- on hats, T-shirts, whatever they could come up with.

Enhancing the show were five video screens showing closeups of the band, who played everything from fiddle to mandolin, as well as videos of individual songs.

Jackson, winner of last year's CMA entertainer of the year and male vocalist of the year awards, wore his trademark ripped jeans, as well as a dark-blue denim shirt jacket, western boots and a big white hat. He was as relaxed and easygoing as ever, despite achievements that dwarf those of his peers -- more than 40 million in album sales, more than two dozen No. 1 hits and more than 60 music industry awards.

Though his set list was filled with hits, Jackson didn't offer much of a preview of his upcoming album, which has already produced a single, "Too Much of a Good Thing." The sentimental, biographical "Livin' On Love" was accompanied by family photos showing his parents through the years. Fans swooned for "When Somebody Loves You," a tender ballad. And they came unglued for the rollicking "Little Bitty," clapping and singing along.

More childhood photos were hauled out for the wistful "Remember When." Jackson paid tribute to Hank Williams with a credible "Hey, Good Looking," and saluted another country legend, George Jones, with the rousing "Don't Rock the Jukebox."

Last year's big hit, the "happy hour" anthem "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" (originally recorded as a duet with Jimmy Buffett), featured images of Buffett on the video screens. Jackson followed with Eddie Cochran's rock 'n' roll classic, "Summertime Blues," a sure-fire crowd pleaser. For a lackluster version of "The Blues Man," the lanky Georgian sat in a chair, playing his guitar. But Jackson his band cranked it up for "Pop-A-Top," the perfect summer beer-drinking song.

With the sentimental "Drive (for Daddy Gene)," Jackson honored his late father, who taught him how to drive and gave him a sense of self-confidence. The room was quiet, then erupted in cheers for "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Jackson's song about Sept. 11.

"Chattahoochee," Jackson's rambunctious ode to the river he loved as a kid, featured the song's memorable video of a waterskiing Jackson in full cowboy regalia. The fun-filled set closer, "Where I Came From," was accompanied by film clips of Seattle area landmarks -- from the Fremont troll to the Space Needle -- taken when the band arrived in town.

Jackson returned for a single-song encore of the K.C. Douglas country-blues classic "Mercury Blues," signing autographs as his band took turns playing solos.

The energetic McBride, country music's answer to Pat Benatar, belted out more than an hour of songs, winning over concertgoers with her powerful vocals and downhome charm. The tender "In My Daughter's Eyes" featured videos of her kids, Emma and Delaney. She explained that she had grown up in Kansas watching "The Wizard of Oz" before singing a roof-raising version of "Over the Rainbow."

McBride, who appeared recently in a CMT "Crossroads" special with Benatar, paid tribute to the rock singer with a powerful "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." The soaring, anthemic "Wild Angels," one of her biggest hits, was also one of the best songs in her set.