Josh Turner performed at Colusa Casino's small showroom on June 23, 2005. The tickets were general admission, and the small showroom was about 3/4 full by showtime. As showtime came and went, and the music kept playing, we finally saw someone come on the stage. This was a representative of the venue, and they passed out t-shirts with the venue name on them by tossing them into the crowd. This kept people's attention for a while, and then we were told Josh would be out soon. Soon after that, they called for the DJ of the local radio station, and it seemed he was not available. Time kept ticking, and finally at 8:40, Josh was introduced.
"Folsom Prison Blues" was his opening number, and after that he went right into "Backwoods Boy." Then on to another album cut, and one of my favorites, "Jacksonville." The next song, I'm not positive of. I don't recognize it. I think it was "Lord Have Mercy on this Country Boy."
Finally Josh did some talking. He apologized for being late, but said if the show had started on time, he would have been doing it in his underwear. He said he's been working on his sophomore release, and the album will be out in the Fall.
The next song was one from his upcoming album, written by Shawn Camp, and I really like it. It's called "Hard Headed." Next, Josh introduced his band, which includes his lovely wife on background vocals. He introduced her as his best friend, and lovely wife, Jennifer.
Next, he told about when he was on the road all last year, he kept talking about a movie that would be coming out that would contain one of his songs in it. He said it was due out around Christmas, but as Christmas came and went and the movie didn't come out, he found out that it wouldn't come out. So, he thought everyone probably thought he was a liar. Now, he says that he heard that again, it's supposed to be out this fall. Then, he sang the song that was supposed to be in the movie, "Good Woman Bad."
Josh asked how many traditional country fans were in the audience. This got a big response. Josh said he wanted to sing some traditional songs we might recognize. He then played and sang a medley of songs, beginning with Randy Travis' "Digging Up Bones," then "No Stranger to the Rain" from Keith Whitley, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" from Waylon Jennings, and ended with a great version of "Swingin'", originally by John Anderson.
Slowing down the tempo a bit, he played another album track; the touching "I Had One One Time." His second single was next, "What It Ain't."
Next, he said he was going to play the song that will be the first single off his new album, and not to request it yet, as it won't be out til July 26th, but he hoped we liked it. The song is awesome. It's got a shuffle feel to it and it's called "Your Man."
The final song of the night was his smash debut single, "Long Black Train," which the crowd helped him sing in parts.
What a great show. I have seen Josh four times now, but this was the first time where he had a full show, and what a treat it was. I went to his website and joined his fan club so I'll be ready for his Fan Club Party next year at the CMA Music Festival. I had been in his Fan Club last year, but the website was being redone and I couldn't renew until now.
If you love traditional country, be sure to check out Josh's show when he is in your town. He puts on a great show... even 40 minutes late, he was well worth the wait.
Set List:
- Folsom Prison Blues
- Backwoods Boy
- Jacksonville
- Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy
- Hard Headed
- Good Woman Bad
Medley
- Digging Up Bones, No Stranger to the Rain, Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?, Swingin'
- I Had One One Time
- What It Ain't
- Your Man
- Long Black Train