From: JeannetteW@aol.com
Thursday, November 12th 1998.
Just got back from the show. It was great! This was my 4th AJ concert--he
doesn't get out this way much (I had to go to Denver last year to see him).
Though I wasn't on the floor, I had great seats--in the boxes, just right of
the stage. Clint Daniels opened. I Hope this guy does well. He's pretty
impressive, a lot like Alan in some ways--kinda laid back, real traditional.
He hasn't had much airplay here (if any at all), but he still managed to get a
good reaction out of the crowd. Next came the Wilkinsons--I'm probably the
only one in the world right now who isn't wowed by them. 16 year old Amanda
has a fantastic voice, and a heckuva stage presence (far better than LeAnn
Rimes when I saw her with AJ a couple of years ago), but, well . . . I tend to
like my country real traditional, and they were kinda too pop for my tastes.
But they still put on a good show.
Okay, okay . . . DMAN! Red sleeveless shirt, untucked, holey jeans (and I
swear one of those holes . . . if he'd bent over just the wrong way--or, well
. . . maybe the *right* way ;)--he would've given the audience a night they'd
never forget! LOL! Opened with "Who's Cheatin' Who", then "I'm In Love With
You Baby . . ." the crowd was on their feet practically for the rest of the
night. I'm not quite sure about the order, but he did "I'll Try", "She's Got
the Rhythm . . .", "Tall Tall Trees", "Little Bitty", "There Goes", "House
With No Curtains", "Summer Time Blues", "Right On the Money", "Midnight In
Montgomery", "Home", and "Gone Country". When he did IGOLY, he sang the last
chorus in Spanish, and the crowd was deafening! Albuquerque crowds tend to be
LOUD, and pretty danged wild (it's cowboys, beer . . . you get the picture.)
And our security, really, is pretty cool. They weren't running folks out of
the aisles, telling them to get back to their seats or had to sit down, or
yanking their cameras away, and there were NO security up at the foot of the
stage, so the lucky folks in the first few rows were right up against the
stage! Well, one gal got a little carried away, and she managed to climb up
ON stage, grabbed AJ! Scared the ever-lovin' beejeebus outta him! Security
nabbed her, but not before she got an armful!
During the "Half-wired set" he did "Here In the Real World", "Dallas",
"Wanted", "If I Could Make a Living", and "I Can't Do That Anymore". The
highlights for me, though, were "Seven Bridges Road", and "A Woman's
Love"--that is my favorite song off High Milage, and he did it beautifully. He
closed with "Chattahoochee" and "Mercury Blues", changing the last part to
"Crazy 'Bout a Ford Truck".
It was a great show. AJ sounded good, and up until he got molested, he was
pretty up. After that, he kinda stayed further back from the front of the
stage. I don't blame him. After all, Albuquerque is where Teri Clark got her
shoulder dislocated by an over-excited fan at the NM State Fair in Sept. :(
The only thing though--I really miss the little "extras" AJ used to do in his
shows--like "What Kind of Man", "Mind Your Own Business", "Good Year for the
Roses", "Trying Not to Love You", or letting the Strayhorns do "Stray Horn
Pipe". When he came here in '96, it was just a couple of days after the album
Everything I Love had been released, and he did "Walk On the Rocks". It was
one of the best I've ever seen him do. But I guess these days he has so many
hits everybody wants to hear, he'd wind up singing all night if he threw in
anything extra. Still, it was a great show. Except now, ::sigh:: the
withdrawls are already setting in, and it'll probably be another two years
before AJ comes back.
J
On November 15th, 1997, Alan Jackson opened to a sell out crowd at
McNichol's Arena in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado.
As concerts go, this one was by far the best I've ever attended.
Deana Carter was the featured "opener" and played for a little over an hour.
At apporximately 9:30 p.m., the roof of "Big Mac" was lifted with the
applause, whistles, and shouts of the 14,000 + fans in attendance when "AJ"
took to the stage.
The compilation of songs Alan performed were from his "Greatest Hits" CD and
"Everything I love" CD. True to form, Alan took time and did a "half wired
set" playing some of his more memorable songs.
Two hours later, to the throes of a standing "O" crowd, Alan came back and
performed "Mercury Blues" and slightly modified the song to include his
Ford Truck commercial lyrics.
As an aside. If anyone has not done so, BUY Alan's Greatest Hits Video. It's
worth every penny and is very entertaining.
submitted by:John (jnsampson@ibm.net)
On the cold, wintry Hoosier evening of Saturday February 8,1997, special
guest Harley Allen opened the show for country super star, Alan Jackson.
Harley, a songwriter, who is now out on the road and making a name for
himself, along with his band members, put on a 30 minute set. Harley has
written songs and made hits for Sammy Kershaw, Linda Ronstadt, Garth Brooks
and of course, Alan Jackson. He wrote Alans' latest hit, "Everything I Love",
and "Between the Devil and Me". We have to admit, that we, along with many
other fans, were real disappointed that Leann Rimes did not open the show
for Alan.
Following a 30 minute break, while the set was being changed, the tall,
lanky, laid-back Georgian, Alan Jackson, strolled onto the stage. He opened
with his big hit, "Chattahoochee"!!! The fans went wild!! Alan made the
comment, "You're all wild here in Muncie tonight"!!
The gigantic screen behind the band members and one smaller screen
on each side, higher up, brought AJ and his videos to life!! Sometimes
you'd get so "caught up" in watching the video screens, that you
would forget that Alan was actually there live on stage!! Every now
and then the cameraman would turn and show the crowd on the
"big screens". YEE-HAW!!
Alan and his band, "The Strayhorns", played many songs off the
"Greatest Hits" album, along with songs from his latest album,
"Everything I Love". New songs and videos included, "Everything I
Love", "Between The Devil and Me" and "Little Bitty". The show was
high energy, mixed with slower ballads and an enjoyable "half-wired"
accoustical set in the middle. Alan doesn't have a lot of fancy
moves on stage, just an occasional stroll from one end of the stage
to the other. This brought a lot of screams and sighs from excited
AJ fans!! Alan spoke very little on stage, only stopping to
introduce his band members or the background to some of his songs!
Alan came back for an encore, ending with "Mercury Blues".
Many fans gave Alan roses and stuffed bears, and few had a rare
opportunity to go up and shake his hand, before he left the stage.
The concert was super-fantastic and was worth the $24.50 we
paid to see him!!
Submitted by: Gail & Stephanie McDaniel - bigmac@comsys.net
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