It was clear that Blake Shelton was a major draw for this concert, as the crowd leapt to their feet as he took the stage. Blake, too, wasted little time, getting right into the music with a crowd-pleasing performance of "Austin" his first hit single. Blake then asked the crowd to join him in singing his current single "Playboys of the Southwestern World" first teaching us the lyrics to the chorus, and then asking us to sing it back to him, "Hey Romeo, Let's go down to Mexico..."
Saying only that the song was very special to him, Blake sang the opening line of "The Baby" to the cheers of the crowd, most of whom joined him in singing. By the second verse the lighters were in the air as Blake delivered a moving and emotional rendition of the hit.
"Ol Red" was, as you might expect, the crowd favorite. The cheering started at the first lick of the guitar, and continued until long after the song was over.
Although I liked Both "Austin" and "Ol Red," I had never been blown away by Blake's videos or singles, but let me tell you this: Blake is one hell of a performer and I now have a lot more respect for this great entertainer.
In stark contrast to the simple sets delivered by Junior and Blake, Toby's performance was more of a production than ever. Starting with a predictable sequel to the Unleashed tour video montage, Keith again used a talking dog to express his opinions on women and politics. I found the entire display to be rather insulting, and disappointing.; and Toby continued to demean women and exploit the war using his canine alter-ego to hurl insults at Canadians, the French and others.
But my disappointment would soon grow. A Ford F-150 truck (The tour's sponsor is Ford.) revved to life on the stage, but soon transformed itself into a steel stage with flashing lights and smoke. As Toby stepped onto the truck-bed-stage great balls of fire erupted on either side of the stage and pyrotechnics exploded along the front of the stage.
Keith shouted the lyrics of the first few songs more than he sang them, and it became clear that this performance was all about the show, and not about the music. This was NOT a country concert, was all I could think as Toby even failed to slow down while singing "I Should Have Been a Cowboy." The whole time he paraded back and forth across the stage, shooting his trademark angry looks at the crowd. His rapid movements seemed more than just working the stage, but agitated and hyperactive. This was not the Toby I knew.
You see, I'm a Toby fan from the beginning, back before he asked "How Do You Like Me Now?" and rose to the top. I've seen him perform numerous times, most recently just six months ago in Huntsville, AL for the last stop of the Unleashed tour. It amazed me, the difference six months had made. Although the political junk was there, the main focus was still the music, not cheap production tricks.
I'm not sure if it's the controversies, or the attention Toby has been given for his less country work, but the spark just doesn't seem to be there right now. I truly felt as though I was watching a carefully rehearsed script being played out and couldn't help thinking 'You're better than this Toby, I've seen you be better than this."
"I Want to Talk About Me. How Do You Like Me Now?" Toby is always asking. Well Toby, I'm not sure how I like you now. I liked you just fine before.
