Jackson concert supports purity of country music

While country music continues its forays into other genres, including pop, rock and even hip-hop -- witness the burgeoning popularity of "hick-hop" newcomer Cowboy Troy, for instance -- there are still a few artists who are determinedly trying to maintain that old-school sensibility.

Smooth-voiced country superstar Alan Jackson, the Country Music Association's most recent Entertainer of the Year, displayed his commitment to the cause from the first song -- "Gone Country" -- before the crowd at The Star Pavilion at Hersheypark Stadium on Friday night.

Supporting his 14th album, "What I Do," Jackson, in a tan shirt, jeans and cream-colored Stetson, led his crack band of veterans, the Strayhorns, with a grin and a laid-back demeanor. He picked up the tempo with the rollicking honky-tonk "I Don't Even Know Your Name," which featured some excellent fleet-fingered work on guitar and mandolin, before slowing way down with "Livin' on Love."

Jackson kept the changes in mood going, as "Little Bitty" swung into the mournful "Monday Morning Church," a track from his latest album. It translated nicely live, as did "Too Much of a Good Thing."

The middle of the set provided the real highlights.

Since Jackson and several other country artists covered Hank Williams' classic "Hey Good Lookin'" with beach bum Jimmy Buffett, they gave the song an appropriately punchy island groove and a beefy swing, powered by piano and bass. Jackson went back to his most recent album for the witty "Talkin' Song Repair Blues," the clever tit-for-tat story of a mechanic who wants to be a songwriter.

The blond, mustachioed native of Newnan, Ga., was a rather serious performer, staying focused on the task and letting his band provide all the musical fireworks. Many times, he sang with one hand hooked in his pocket. His strength was his rich, unerring voice and his casual but commanding stage presence.

The set ended on a somber note with Jackson's tribute to his late father, "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" and his poignant post-Sept. 11 song "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," which he did with sensitivity and grace. Encores of "Chattahoochee" and "Where I Come From" (featuring video footage of local sights) sent everyone home with a smile.

Overusing those videos might have been cause for complaint -- each and every song was accompanied by a music video, which became distracting. After all, we've got the performer live before our eyes -- do we need to watch him on TV, too?

Opener Sara Evans, a Missouri girl in the pop-country Shania Twain mold, delivered an appealing selection of tracks including "Perfect," "Saints and Angels," and "No Place That Far" with swagger and attitude, waving to fans and even signing autographs while she sang. Her voice was powerful but she seemed to be straining at times, occasionally sounding a touch harsh.

But an energetic take on her hit "Suds in the Bucket," a moving rendition of "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus," and a sampling of her upcoming album (with its first single "A Real Fine Place to Start") helped make up for any vocal shortcomings.

The Wrights, the husband and wife team of Adam and Shannon, led things off with a brief set of songs from their debut album "Down This Road." KIRA L. SCHLECHTER: 257-4763 or kschlechter@patriot-news.com