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Concert Review: Alan Jackson, Martina McBride
Fri Aug 13, 2004 02:11 AM ET
By
Darryl Morden
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Alan Jackson's an old faithful of
country music: You pretty much know what you're going to get, but he
always delivers.
Wednesday's headlining set at the Pond kicked off with a montage of
Jackson's numerous male vocalist wins from the Country Music Assn. and
Academy of Country Music as he and his longtime band, the Strayhorns, took
the stage for his enduring hit "Gone Country." Dressed in his usual
good-guy white hat, torn but stylish faded blue jeans and boots, he was
low-key, with a subtle, knowing smile and Southern gentleman charm.
Whenever his band would take rounds of solos, he'd walk the lip of the
stage, tipping his hat, shaking and slapping outreaching hands and
accepting typical fan gifts of flowers and other trinkets.
As a writer and co-writer of some of his material, Jackson often offers
more depth than he gets credit for. He also has dead-on instincts when
recording songs written by others. Add his perfect-fit remakes, such as
Tom T. Hall's whimsical "Little Bitty" (with cute shots of children in the
audience up on the video screens) and Charly McClain's randy "Who's
Cheatin' Who" and it all added up to a slick and professional, yet also
down-home, show.
While he couldn't play every hit, the performance included enough
variety to excite the nearly full arena. There also were a few detours,
like a New Orleans-style take on Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'."
Jackson's ballads are never cloying or mawkish, and he sticks to country
tradition for his more midtempo and upbeat numbers, twin fiddles at work,
pedal steel and mandolin, too, sourcing honky-tonk, country & western
and Cajun flavors as well. He really makes no concessions to pop or rock
other than the tropical summertime play of "5 O'Clock Somewhere," with the
song's guest, Jimmy Buffett, on video.
Jackson's at his best when he adds personal touches to his songs,
including "Livin' on Love," with various black-and-white photos of his
mother and late father on the video screen; the gently romantic "Remember
When," with shots of him dancing with his wife; and "Drive," inspired by
his teen years with his father and time spent with his own three
daughters. His somber Sept. 11 reflection, "Where Were You When the World
Stopped Turning," was effectively followed by the celebration of life's
little joys on the river in "Chattahoochee."
The arrangements were delivered with tasteful skill, and there was
never any overplaying as everything served the song. Not a showman type,
Jackson's a straight-ahead and steady singer at the microphone, strumming
his acoustic guitar. He also isn't one for gimmicks, except for some
creeping fog to set the mood during the tale of "The Blues Man."
Martina McBride comes off like a girl-turned-mom next door, with some
of her showbiz performance tendencies softened by genuine warmth onstage.
She offers some female empowerment in such anthems as "Independence Day,"
and the newer, and more endearing "This One's for the Girls." McBride's a
belter, and when she turned to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
(the two appeared together on CMT's "Crossroads"), it fit in well with her
own songs and also worked for the audience, who no doubt grew up on the
1980s rock nugget. In a way, McBride is the Benatar of country, though
there's in a touch of Linda Ronstadt, too, in such numbers as the spirited
"Happy Girl," soaring "Wild Angels" and playful "My Baby Loves Me."
Despite still being a small-town Kansas girl at heart, she oversold
"Over the Rainbow," which began with a nice torchy feel, then turned into
another belting ballad. Far more gentle and appealing was "In My
Daughter's Eyes," from her current album, featuring some family home
movies and snapshots on the screens of McBride and her husband with their
two young girls.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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