Neal McCoy - Neal McCoy Live! DVD Review

Making a Project Concept a Reality

I suppose it is no secret that I'm a Neal McCoy fan. But the reason I'm a fan is the same reason Neal has collected an incredibly loyal fan base through the course of his career. He is a very talented individual with a personality that won't quit. He feeds off his audience like no other performer I've ever seen. And this project gives a small idea of just how he does this. It is as close to a live Neal McCoy experience as you can find. They decided to film the video at the 2005 Hodag Country Music Festival in Rhinelander, WI. Groovpix Entertainment produced and released the project and is jointly marketing it with the 903 Music label. The location was chosen because they have been performing there for the past 15 years, starting as one of the early afternoon acts and they are now the headliner of the festivities. Along with a 12 song concert set, the video also contains some bonus material. You can go backstage and watch Neal meet some of his fans before his show, watch his soundcheck and listen as talks about some of his career influences as well as his feelings about the work he does with the USO tours. General Tommy Franks makes an appearance to describe his friendship with Neal.

Through the Course of the Concert

The concert portion of the DVD is a lot of fun. Neal does a 12 song set and there are flashes of him talking about different aspects of life on the road throughout. During the show he talks to the audience, does some jello shots with his band that audience members share with them, laughs about the long blown up plastic gloves that everyone is waving in the air and makes all kinds of general comments about different signs and things that he sees out in the audience. He is a very theatrical performer, which is part of the draw of his show. He is all over the stage while he sings. He 'dances' with his band members on different songs. During one of the songs, there are two little kids waving at him in front of the stage. He stops what he's doing, reaches down to lift them onstage and hug them. After posing for a quick photo with them, he carefully hands them back down. He acknowledges all of the different things people give him, putting on the hats and beer goggles before laying them on a little platform by his band.

Singing His Heart Out

Each and every Neal McCoy concert is a different experience. He never makes a set list for his shows, although you will always hear certain songs like "Shake" and "No Doubt About It." He will sing covers from different musical genres like "The Boys Are Back In Town" or other classic rock or big band era music. For this show, he is promoting his latest album so he sings "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On," "You Let Me Be the Hero" and "Tailgate." You will always hear the fan favorite "Hillbilly Rap" and it definitely gets the crowd moving. One of the things Neal is famous for is climbing things while he is onstage. This show was no exception. He crawled way up into the rafters and was looking out over the crowd while singing this song. He also exchanges his cowboy hat for a baseball hat turned sideways. The song he uses to close his shows is another fan favorite, but also one that is very special to Neal. It is how he feels about his fans and you can hear the emotion in his voice as he sings "I'm Your Biggest Fan." He leaves the stage to the roars of an appreciative crowd.

Song List:

1. The Boys Are Back in Town
2. You Gotta Love That
3. The City Put The Country Back In Me
4. They're Playing Our Song
5. No Doubt About It
6. Tailgate
7. You Let Me Be The Hero
8. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On
9. Hillbilly Rap (Day 'O, Ballad of Jed Clampett, Rapper's Delight medley)
10. Wink
11. Shake
12. I'm Your Biggest Fan