Grammy-winner Lee Greenwood opened the show in “Chocolatetown”
Country music royalty rolled on into the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Saturday (Apr 27th).
Alabama featuring lead singer Randy Owen and bassist Teddy Gentry played a tight set of their hits. From show opener “Tennessee River” to “Mountain Music,” it was a night of country nostalgia with two gentlemen still at the top of their game.
Alabama rose to prominence as a four-piece, “country music’s answer to The Beatles,” was the oft-repeated phrase in the 70’s and 80’s. Their fiddle—heavy mountain sound and approachability brought them heaps of No. 1’s and a mountain—pun intended—of trophies. This includes, in 2023, the CMA’s Pinnacle Award, presented during their surprise appearance at Nissan Stadium during last year’s CMA Fest. Only two other artists have received this award: Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift.
Alabama’s legendary fiddle player, Jeff Cook, retired from the road a few years before his passing in 2022. Since then, Owen and Gentry have continued with a backing band of musicians. It’s a testament to the staying power of their music that Alabama’s band can recreate the group’s note-perfect repertoire.
The Country Music Hall of Famers themselves have also not lost a step. The banter between the two cousins Gentry and Owen remains as humorous as ever. Owen can reach the high notes with a noticeable change in his voice.
Despite their traditional sound, Alabama knew how to adjust their tunes for maximum audience involvement. “Song of the South” had a jumpy intro which had the Hershey crowd stomping their boots. The group handed over the last chorus of “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band),” and the 15,000-capacity arena took it gladly. They did the same with chorus codas on many of the songs.
Gentry and Owen took a moment to recognize and remember their cousin Jeff Cook. It earned the loudest ovation of the night. The fans care about this family of band members as if they were an extension of their own.
Owen himself is quite the character. He can stand so rigidly one moment, that the concertgoer may fear he’s in pain. But the next moment, he may jumpstart himself and run to the other side of the stage, with Garth-like energy.
One bone of contention from this reporter: despite being called the Roll On II Tour, its eponymous song is missing from the setlist. This is sad for me, as “Roll On” was my introduction to the group, is my favorite, and a song I consider to be one of the best story songs in all of country music. But it’s no real bother, as I sympathize with the need to distill a six-decade career down to a two-hour show.
Lee Greenwood performed a 12-song opening set. His vocal chops at 81 are better than some on the radio today. “God Bless the USA” remains a moving tribute to patriotism that had the crowd on their feet. He also offered a stunningly captivating “Please Come to Boston” cover while playing the keys.
If there’s an instrument that defines Alabama’s sound, it’s undoubtedly the fiddle. And Megan Mullins Owen is probably the only player who can fill the late Cook’s shoes. She is family after all. And she shined on a rowdy “Orange Blossom Special,” and almost lit the room ablaze during the raucous “Mountain Music” breakdown.
The boys in Alabama remain the standard-bearer for a kind of traditional country sound enjoying a resurgence in a new form. Still, in an era that likes to lean on overproduction, it’s nice to revisit a type of country musical untouched by a looping machine. May Alabama forever Roll On!
View this post on Instagram
