Thursday, December 14, 2006

GAC Christmas Tour, Canton, 12/13: Joyful and triumphant


Blue County, Deana Carter, Bucky Covington's knees, Julie Roberts and Steve Azar; blurry photos by me. Sorry, everyone--someday I will own a decent camera.


First and foremost--I can't recommend this show enough. Not only is Bucky Covington truly in his post-Idol career musical element on stage for the first time ever (much, much more about that later), but he and all of the performers on the bill--Steve Azar, Blue County, Julie Roberts and Deana Carter--are so much in sync with each other that the appealing "let's do this again next year" stage conversation sounded less like patter and more like actual--very tentative--plans.

And really? They should. I'd be there.

The show began with a long intro from our local Akron country station morning DJ, and then the evening's performers strolled out, unpretentiously, at once--five bearing acoustic guitars (Julie Roberts was the exception) and all bearing beautiful smiles. Steve Azar started off with a hello and a bit of an explanation of how the intimate format came to be. (Those of us who've been following the tour all along know the story about the Tulsa snowstorm and the acoustic set that worked so well, it became the new, improved format.)

Steve was utterly engaging as he performed his new single, "You Don't Know a Thing" (a solid, bread-and-butter country toe-tapper that had Bucky--as well as a lot of us in the audience--grooving to the beat), then introduced Julie Roberts with a funny story that had everyone on stage chiming in and teasing the petite, gorgeous and (surprise!) quite shy Julie in near-unison. Did she, indeed, fall asleep with her Crest Whitestrips still intact? No one knew for sure, they determined, but they were gone in the morning...and say, didn't Bucky's teeth look a bit whiter today than yesterday? (Bucky threw his head back and laughed at this one...)

Basically, this is how it was the whole night--you had the sense of being in a cozy room with a bunch of talented people who genuinely like each other, complete with affectionate hazing.

After Julie's beautiful, country-bluesy voice charmed the arena--the lady can convey heartbreak brilliantly--it was Bucky's turn, and after he complimented Julie on how lovely she looked, along with a few comments on their color coordination (Bucky wore a black shirt, jeans and boots, Julie a black vest over white), he asked the crowd if there were any Elvis fans out there.

Guess what? Canton digs Elvis--and Bucky.

Many of you have had the pleasure of hearing Bucky sing "Suspicious Minds" live in Rockingham; this was my first time, and now I understand why so many have found it tough to describe just how he takes a very familiar Elvis classic and puts a unique, energetic Bucky Covington spin on it. But he does--and the crowd was completely and absolutely with him. There is something about the stripped-down acoustic arrangement and Bucky's growly/emotional voice that makes this more than just a cover--it's an interpretation. (If you've been here for a long time, you'll know how deeply in love I am with "Can't Be Wrong", Bucky's haunting original, which was available for a time at his family's site. Suffice it to say that if you enjoy that side of his musical take on things as much as I do, you'll love his version of "Suspicious Minds.")

After an appreciative response from the audience, Deana Carter (full disclosure, I'm a fan) smiled and said that it'd be hard to follow Bucky and Elvis. Bucky graciously indicated that if anyone could follow Elvis, she'd be the one. And she did, beautifully, with a sweet version of "We Danced Anyway".

Blue County was up next, and four "good little girls" (actual little girls, shy and adorably amazed at being asked to join the band on stage) sat right in front of the monitors for their rockin' version of that hit tune. (Another bit of full disclosure--I loved these guys. I can see how Bucky, Aaron and Scott would have bonded, with their similarly exuberant musical/performance styles and sly senses of humor. Just go see them the next time they hit your town. That is all. )

The second round of originals went just as quickly and and enjoyably as the first--Steve Azar (and I, but I was outvoted by the crowd) would have preferred "Waitin' on Joe", but he did the also-fun "I Don't Have to Be Me 'Till Monday" in its place; Julie's "Break Down Here" was prefaced with a funny/poignant story about her mom's Ford Escort, "Grey Lightning". (Julie indicated that this was a sarcastic nickname, after someone pointed out that Escorts aren't exactly known for blazing speed. "You think?" Bucky piped up with wide eyes, mock-innocently.)

Before Bucky sang "Different World", Steve Azar expressed his faith that it would be a big hit; by the time the song hit its first chorus, it was a safe bet that much of the audience was right there with Steve. The Canton crowd really, really liked this song, and hearing it live (in a hall with good acoustics) brought out the beauty of Bucky's rough-hewn voice in a way that I hope makes it on to the CD. Afterwards, Deana Carter complimented him on the song; he introduced her by saying he remembered when he'd paint cars and listen to Deana on the radio. She answered that soon she'd be painting cars and listening to Bucky on the radio!

Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine" was transcendently lovely, of course. (It is impossible not to be transported to another very personal place and time, hearing that song--just go with it, y'all. Bucky apparently was, too--he sang along, silently.) And Blue County's new single--a melodic, heart-tugger called "I Get To"--closed out the first half on a graceful, grateful note.

I'll skip ahead to the Christmas tunes--Blue County opened the second half with a rousing, surprisingly dramatic "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" that bore traces of Aaron Benward's gospel roots. Deana Carter's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is one of the most personal, intimate versions of the song you'll ever hear; she mentioned that she'd recorded it with her father (Fred J. Carter) during a difficult period in both their lives; the recording, the togetherness, and the music itself helped them through those days.

And then Bucky---well, Bucky was somethin' else again.

Another bit of full disclosure--"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is my favorite secular Christmas carol (with "Jingle Bell Rock" and the Ventures' version of "Sleigh Ride" as close second and third) , so I knew I was going to love this anyway. But Bucky had me grinning from ear to ear--talk about energetic! He danced and Bucky-slid and just had a good old time "rockin' around" up there, to the absolute delight of the crowd. By the end of the song, there were a lot of "we love you!" shouts from the floor. And after his beautifully bluesy "Please Come Home for Christmas" (all I'm gonna say is that if you liked "Real Good Man" on Idol, you'll love this about 100 times better), the "love you Bucky!" shouts became so loud and so frequent that he broke into laughter before singing the song snippet that would segue into the next set. ("I love you too--I've gotta sing now, y'all!")

Julie Roberts put a soulful, come-hither spin on a lovely "All I Want for Christmas Is You"--a gentleman sitting near me was so mesmerized that he nearly spilled his beer. (Did I mention that Deana and Julie are gorgeous?) Steve Azar's "Catfish Christmas" was a total hoot; he said that it was two Christmases old now, and that he'd love for it to become an every-Christmas kind of song. (No worries, Steve--any song that fun, with a fishing theme to boot, is gonna be around a while...)

And the show ended with a rowdy singalong--"Jingle Bell Rock", complete with faux kinda-sorta square dancing, and Aaron Benward pretending to "wear" Bucky's hair by pulling a long strand of it across his forehead!

Really--click that link up top, and if a remaining show on this tour is near you, get over there. You'll be glad you did.

And as for Bucky, for his fans, and for this sweet taste of what his future holds--again, all I can say is wow. If there's one word that describes the experience--both for us in the audience and, I suspect, for Bucky on stage--that word is joyful. You can't help but feel that this man is a performer who truly loves his work--and who is genuinely pleased that you love it, too. I've said it before, and it's true...I could not be happier for him and for us, and I couldn't be more eager to see what lies ahead. We are here for the beginning of something good.

(More on the night later--I think I'd better post this before it's Friday! See you in a little bit...)

Edited to add: Yep, I was at the pre-show meet and greet (head to Bucky's official site for info on how you can attend one, too), and I'd love to report that I was incredibly witty, asked brilliant questions and was an all-around paragon of journalism. Unfortunately, I cannot. (To say the least.) Fortunately, Bucky is extremely kind and patient with somewhat deer-in-the-headlights tall, dark, painfully shy blogging types (not naming any names, of course...)

Seriously, he's every bit as gracious and warm as all my friends who've met him said he is, and more. It was almost a little odd finally meeting the talented singer I've been blogging about all these months, but with a smile and a friendly word and a big ol' hug, he puts you right at ease. To be a Bucky Covington fan is to be part of a particularly sweet mutual appreciation society; you can't help but get the feeling he is enjoying what he does--and enjoying the fact that we're enjoying what he does--immensely.

And just to underscore how gracious he is--he actually thanked Kathy and me for writing about him! Several times. I think I bumbled out something along the lines that it was my pleasure (and it is--it's been an absolute joy), and after the show, at the merchandise table where the artists were signing autographs, he thanked us again. (Kathy was on the musical/journalistic ball--check out her blog for an excellent question she had about one of Bucky's beautiful pre-Idol originals.) After he and I chatted about the show and how great a time I had, I think I asked something about him having a CD available for signing the next time I saw him. (From the very first, I have been all about having a Bucky Covington CD--or a few decades' worth.) He smiled and nodded and said "absolutely." I am so looking forward to that next merchandise table...

(A friend of mine suggested that some cards with his brand new official website's address--that's http://www.buckycovingtonmusic.com, everyone--would be a good addition to the merch table, too. If you haven't been there yet, go now and put it on your Favorites list. It'll be expanding as the weeks pass.)

News post next--come on back!

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:20 PM

    Thank you so much for that gorgeous , well-written review that took me right there!! I cannot wait for the Macon concert when I get to hear all that you described.

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  2. Thank you so much; you're very kind! (You're going to love the show in Macon--I wish I could be there with you. :)

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  3. Anonymous8:18 PM

    I sat here like a little kid at christmas reading your review it was a real gift.I had tears in my eyes .That concert really had a profound effect on me.I am so tickled it was just as great for you.Yes one word to sum it up would be joyful. Smiling and warm in Ohio Becky

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  4. Becky, thanks! And you and I are on the same wavelength--it was really an amazing night. They were joking about doing this again every year, but there'd be a lot of happy people out here if they did... :)

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  5. Anonymous2:57 AM

    Winnie,
    Your review and insight was well worth the wait. I was hanging on every word. I could so picture myself at the concert with you. I am so glad that you had the opportunity to finally meet Bucky. Great pic of you and him on Kathy's blog.

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  6. Anonymous6:02 AM

    Thank you so much for that well-written, descriptive, detailed recap of the Canton show. I was hoping to enjoy the show vicariously through your recap and you definitely did not disappoint! (This is the show I coulda/woulda/shoulda been at, but couldn't go because my hubby's work Christmas party was the same day. His co-workers were bringing their spouses and I just couldn't choose Bucky over him, he would have been so hurt. He joked that he figured I wanted to, though, lol!) Anyway, I hope I get to meet you at a future Ohio concert, maybe for Bucky's solo tour!
    Laurianne

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  7. Excellent Review! You were meant to be a writer! I know.... how sweet was he thanking us??? Couldn't you just about pinch his cheeks? On the ball lol my heart felt like it was gonna fall out of my shoes lol I almost forgot the name of the song lol I was like your original before idol the one something about the one... oh yeah! I found the one lol

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  8. Anonymous7:11 AM

    Hey that is me in your pic with the phone ;)

    LOVED the review, you write so beautifully and you captured the feeling of the night so well. Totally amazing. I was so happy to be able to bring my daughter too. She was just shell shocked at finally meeting him lol. I so wish I could get to another one but they are just a bit too far away this close to Christmas. I couldn't remember any of the things I wanted to say either even though I actually WROTE THEM DOWN this time lol. He just makes me forget everything intelligent when I am around him lol.

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  9. Anonymous7:25 AM

    Winnie, Once again you wrote a piece with sincere and heartfelt thoughts that captured us from the first line. Your review is extra special because as we all know..it was your first meeting. Our hearts swell, just seeing the "happiness" on your face in the pictures. A well written piece and a so nice to see the beautiful woman behind buckymania. Keep up the good work lady. Love Buckymania.

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  10. Hi and wow--thanks, you all! :)

    Bren, thanks, and you and yours are just going to love this show--really, I can't say enough about how wonderful a time we had. Please come back and tell us what you think after your tour stop! I guarantee we'll all be thinking about a petition to get them to do this again next year...

    Laurianne, I can sympathize with the timing issues--your husband has a sweet sense of humor! :) Wish you and he could have been there too--and I hope you and I can finally shake hands at one of Bucky's shows here in Ohio real soon. (Good thing Bucky seems to enjoy touring!)

    Kathy, was that incredible or what? He was so kind--what a gracious man. And if your heart was falling, it sure didn't show. (Y'all, Kathy looked as cool as a cucumber, calm and collected and graceful and she got that excellent question answered. I think there's a job at ET waiting for her...:)

    Debbie, I thought that might have been you in that picture! Your daughter is such a cutie, and she was clearly having a wonderful time. (Please tell her I'm a big Steve Azar fan, too! ;) And yep...I can relate to that whole "forgetfulness" thing, hee.

    Lisa, you are incredibly kind. Your gorgeous Buck Wild site is a huge favorite of mine, too! (Oh, I was absolutely thrilled to finally meet my favorite singer, and I guess it showed--as a matter of fact, my friends and family here are still dealing with the huge smug smile on my face... :)

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  11. Anonymous10:28 AM

    Winnie you didn't see Kathy "fumbling" for her video camera LOL... love ya Kathy!

    Tori still has a big smile on her face too and I still grin every once in a while too ;)


    She wants Steve's first cd now too (the one they were selling and she bought was the new one and didn't have joe and don't have to be me on it). She got the bonus catfish xmas song though on a seperate cd and he signed both her cds. She was so cute and yes had a total blast with Bucky, Steve, and Julie.

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  12. Hey! lol OMG! I couldnt work the zipper.... Tori had to take the plastic off the tape it was a mess. lol

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