7 days Archive

Country crooner: Alan Jackson didn't disappoint during his 17-song set at the Indiana State Fair's Marsh Grandstand on Friday. -- Danese Kenon / The Star   Multimedia Photo gallery: Alan Jackson concert   Alan Jackson • Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds • Bottom line: Killer show without the overkill.

Alan Jackson didn't waste a moment of his onstage time Friday night at the Indiana State Fair.

While conditions were too muggy to classify the 17-song, 75-minute concert as "breezy," the country music star has refined his live show for maximum efficiency.

For a good time, Jackson called on "Chattahoochee" and "Summertime Blues." By throwing in "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere," he foreshadowed parties to be thrown by Kenny Chesney next Friday and Jimmy Buffett on Aug. 31 at Verizon Wireless Music Center.

For the barroom brokenhearted, Jackson offered "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "Pop a Top." An expansive rendition of "The Blues Man" scraped even lower feelings, but the song also pointed to love's healing power.

In terms of romantic triumphs, he sang "Livin' on Love" and "Remember When" in his most heartfelt baritone.

And "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" and "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" continue to be two of the biggest heartstring-pullers in modern music. The former centers on parents and children, while the latter applies to an even broader demographic.

That recaps a majority of the program, and what more could a singer supply? These succinct stories pushed every button they aimed for.

In short, Jackson showed up and "got after it," to borrow the phrase he used near the concert's beginning.

Jackson's band, the always-excellent Strayhorns, didn't showboat but flexed a type of pinpointed power. A pair of mandolins brought "The Blues Man" to a close, and "Pop a Top" glided on a twin-fiddle foundation.

Elsewhere, bass player Roger Wills and drummer Bruce Rutherford gave a mighty backbeat to "Summertime Blues."

If this straightforward show carried a deeper message, it might have something to do with Jackson's selfless dedication to preserving country music's legacy.

During Friday's rendition of "Too Much of a Good Thing," video screens showed backstage footage of Porter Wagoner and Little Jimmy Dickens hanging out in Nashville.

Jackson's idea of paradise seems to be the Grand Ole Opry, and he's spreading that gospel with an expert's touch.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404.

Email this

Print this

Post message

Letter to editor

Reprint info

Today's top stories • It's over in a flash • Northwest encounters few problems • Two women die in hit-run accident • No budget cut is too tiny for 'The Blade'

Top entertainment stories • Women playing bigger role at gaming convention • Jackson gets to work and delivers the goods • Artists offer glimpse of shows • Courtney Love ordered into treatment for drugs • 'Drug Ballad' now ringing true