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LONDON, Ont. - With thousands of fans cheering his hits, country superstar Tracy Byrd made all the right moves in his long-awaited London debut on a beautiful night under the stars by the banks of the Thames.
Perhaps because the concert started late, after all the lovely balloon launches, Byrd didn't talk as much as many country stars. Last night, he let his songs and his good ol' boy charisma do the talking.
When it was time for a little mid-set dirty dancing with his guitar on his new honky-tonk classic, The Truth About Men, this good guy in a black hat was ready for it. The zippy moment punctuated the song's version of the truth that men will only take women out for dinner because it leads to the one thing men really care about. Byrd also won cheers for bringing CanCon to the song's football line, slipping in CFL for the original's NFL.
Speaking of the truth, Byrd knows a good band when he hears one. "These are six impressive guys up here," Byrd said of his band.
As if inspired by the boss's kind words, the band flew through the Western swing stylings of Cowgirl. It was great to hear the fans cheer for this terrific nod to the 1940s' Western swing heroes Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
Among the mid-set hits were Tiny Town, Let Me Be in Love, Drinkin' Bone and Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous. Byrd effortlessly switched back and forth from his slow ballads to his trademark partying songs.
Among the best of those is a new one, Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman, proof that somebody in Byrd's world has been watching Desperate Housewives and knows how to countrify that suburban lane.
With the set passing the hour mark, Byrd sang a lovely version of his huge ballad hit, The Keeper of the Stars. Then, with the final songs still to go, he jumped into one of his funniest partying tunes, Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo.
Byrd was on the road for 16 years before it led to London. He should come back soon.
Before Byrd hit the stage, Canadian country star Chris Cummings had showed his smarts by switching between straight-faced tearjerkers and clever, joking tunes. Kitchener-area performer Jamie Warren, a former Londoner, opened last night's country bill. Tonight's concert switches to rock, with Canadian rock band Thornley headlining.
Organizers estimated last night's crowd at 7,500 fans, with 2,200 having paid their way into the 19-and-up enclosure.
Yesterday's crowds started with the early-morning balloon launches. Dozens of balloons have been lifting off twice daily from Harris Park, starting about at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
"You can't please all the people all the time and last night all those people were at my show," Cummings joked early in the set. Then, he went back to 1996 for his first single, I Waited, one of his straightahead gems.
Last night, Cummings opened with classy tearjerker, The Kind of Heart That Breaks, one of his No. 1 hits from the 1990s, and followed up with one of his funny ones, Cowboy Hats.
The man has a sense of humour. He is probably the only country singer to suggest a fine second title for his Greatest Hits Vol. I might be Songs That Did Quite Nicely at Radio But Failed to Propel Me to Household Name Status.
A false start and an on-stage discussion about which key would help actually hurt his lovely ballad, Somewhere Inside, another Top 5 hit. But he recovered quickly to shift once more, making time for a bit of classic CanRock.
"I'm going to do some Bryan Adams for you. Hey, no one's as surprised as I am," Cummings said before jumping into Summer of '69.
The country rocker did a serious job on the summer song. "Don't tell Bryan," he said afterward.
Raised in New Brunswick, Cummings has been based in Nashville for years. He returned to Canada to make Edmonton his base about four months ago.
Tomorrow afternoon's concert will be headlined by Creedence Clearwater Revisited. The band has two of CCR's original members -- bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford. Admission to the area at the front of the stage is $30. London band Caution Donkeys opens for CCRevisited at 2 p.m.