Thanks, Tracy, for the above words. Maybe the concert-goers WEREN'T half-bad at this audience participation thing, who knows? What WAS evident was that performer and audience alike were having loads of fun singing together. That singing stuff was, well, hard work, especially in a crowded dance hall so hot it sent the headliner to the back of the stage numerous times to wipe sweat off his brow and hat. It also seemed fitting that the concert closed (around 12:30 a.m.!) with "Watermelon Crawl" - audience members almost had to crawl out of the Rose from exhaustion. Too much work? No... too much fun!

A lot of wonderful country music "happened" between 8:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. The evening opened with a Phoenix, Arizona-based band, Scotty Freel and Lickety Split. It started the night off right with a high energy set that included Jerry Reed’s "Amos Moses," Hank Williams’ "Move it On Over" (always such a fun song) and covers of other popular hits by artists such as Collin Raye, Tracy Byrd, David Lee Murphy. These guys knew how to work the crowd, they were a lively and entertaining bunch.

Next up, for a short set was Monument recording artist Gil Grand performing his single releases, "Famous First Words," and "Spilled Perfume" as well as future release," Let’s Start Livin’."

Tracy Byrd took the stage around 10:30 p.m., opening with "4 to 1 in Atlanta" from 1995's Love Lessons , and following with "Don’t Love Make a Diamond Shine?" Byrd let the audience know it was good to be back in Denver, Colorado, saying that he always had an "exceptionally fine time" here. He spoke of guesting on Denver’s KYGO during the noon hour, answering questions and performing acoustic versions of numerous hits. He told us "you feel kind of naked when you do stuff like that" (playing acoustically).

After telling the crowd to "just sit back and drink your beers and let’s party tonight," Byrd continued with "Holdin’ Heaven," "You Lied to Me," and two achingly beautiful songs from the new I’m From the Country CD, "Back to Texas," and "I Want to Feel That Way Again." Byrd said he knew the crowd was a "dancin’ crowd" and rolled into "The First Step," a song which invites audience participation. Perfomer and audience united as one, holding up index fingers at the words "1st step" and 2 fingers at the words "2-step."

The performance se" Big Love" that officially launched the show into the stratosphere. The place was already at a high energy level but the song that Byrd has said "is about as rockin as it gets for Tracy Byrd" noticeably cranked up the intensity level. Things kept rocking with "Walking to Jerusalem" which again had everyone willingly participating in the music as Byrd would point to the crowd to finish singing the lines of the song. This part of Byrd’s set ended with another new song, "I’ve Got What it Takes."

A little country swing followed, starting off with "Cowgirl," which has that great line, "with calves like that, you have to be a cowgirl." This was followed by a great Bob Wills number" Roly Poly," and the classic "Route 66."

A personal favorite, and the first cut on the new CD, "Gettin Me Over Mountains" was next, followed by "Heaven in My Woman’s Eyes."

As would be expected, "Keeper of the Stars" brought the crowd to a frenzy. A woman near the stage mentioned that she’d had it played at her wedding (as have countless others) . For one of the few times during the show, Byrd abandoned his guitar, took the microphone in hand and walked along the front of the stage touching and holding hands with those in the front rows. It seemed so natural and heartfelt, it certainly affected the audience, as people pushed forward in a crushing wave -- if they couldn’t be one of the lucky ones to actually touch Byrd, they wanted to just be CLOSER as he sang the song. Byrd took his hat off towards the end of the song and held it high as did all hat-wearers in the audience as a symbol of unity and shared feeling.

The Johnny Paycheck classic, "Don’t Take Her She’s All I’ve Got" came next followed by two more Byrd hits, "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous" and the recent single, "I’m from the Country," the latter looking like it could become an anthem of sorts for the country music lover.

After the main show, there was one of the most raucous and vocal calls for an encore ever heard at the Rose and Tracy Byrd and company gave everything they had.

The encore was almost like a mini-concert in itself during which the audience was treated to a special announcement, a tale of failed movie "stardom" and such musical classics as Hank Thompson’s "Six Pack to Go" Waylon Jennings’ "Luchenbach, Texas," and "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way," along with Waylon and Willie’s duet," Good Hearted Woman," and a George Strait cut,"It’s Not Right but Lefty’s Gone." Byrd also put his vocals to Steve Earle’s "Guitar Town," a song requested by a member of the audience.

Someone passed up a note to the stage telling Byrd that a member of the audience had just become a naturalized citizen that day. Byrd read the note and the person’s name and gave his congratulations. It was a nice moment. Byrd also told about his two brushes with movie stardom. He spoke of how excited he’d been when he found out George Lucas was going to use one of his songs in a movie....of course, it was one of the few George Lucas films that failed. He also found out that Blues Brothers 2000 would be using "Honky-Tonk Dancing Machine" as background music during a fight scene in the movie. A smiling Byrd mentioned that, once again, a movie that seemed like a sure success, flopped and thus all hopes of movie "stardom" were dashed. Well...at least everyone got to hear the song.

One always leaves Byrd's shows emotionally satisfied, with the kind of feeling that lingers long after the immediate high of the concert. The man and his band not only play great music but they leave people feeling incredibly well-treated, like they've been at a 5-star hotel or restaurant where every need has been attended to. This proud and likeable Texan, with a map of the state of Texas on his guitar strap, just invites you "in." Sometimes it’s the music, sometimes it’s that "wide-open arms" gesture he uses so freely, sometimes it’s those sparkling, expressive eyes. Best of all, maybe a good part of that warm feeling you leave with, comes from knowing that, with the likes of Tracy Byrd, country music is in good hands for a long time to come.

Interview with Tracy Byrd
Tracy Byrd Photo Album

Mountain West Music 2002