Spotlight on country (music)
This weekend promises to be a twangy one in the Inland Northwest, with several big country shows on the schedule, ranging from superstars to Sugar-stars to pseudo-stars. Here’s what’s on tap:
Alison Krauss and Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas
Sunday, 8 p.m., Spokane Arena’s Star Theatre
Nobody, with the possible exception of Dolly Parton, has done as much as Alison Krauss, vocal and fiddle prodigy, to bring bluegrass and traditional acoustic music into the mainstream.
When she was first signed to Rounder Records, she was a 14-year-old fiddle champ. Now, 20 years later, she has an incredible 20 Grammy Awards under her belt (the most of any female artist).
Krauss has been heard on best-selling movie soundtracks (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”), performed with the Boston Pops and been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Through it all, she has stayed loyal to independent label Rounder Records. On this tour, with her band Union Station (which includes dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas), she will perform tracks from her newest Rounder solo release, “A Hundred Miles or More.”
The album, which features duets with other artists as well as music from the “O Brother” and “Cold Mountain” soundtracks, is in the Billboard Country Top 10.
The show will also feature what the promoters call “fan favorites” – meaning her many, many hit songs from over the years, beginning with “When You Say Nothing At All,” which was both a pop and country hit in 1995.
Sugarland
Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Greyhound Park, Post Falls
This country duo is red-hot right now, with their latest CD, “Enjoy the Ride,” firmly ensconced in the Billboard country chart.
Two singles from that album, “Want To” and “Settlin’,” both made it to No. 1. Another single, “Everyday America,” is climbing the charts.
Sugarland was originally a trio, consisting of lead singer Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall, all of whom had been well-known for years in Atlanta’s folk-acoustic scene. The combination immediately clicked. Their first major album, 2005’s “Twice the Speed of Life,” went to No. 3 on the country charts and sold 2 million copies.
However, Hall dropped out of the group in January 2006 to focus on her songwriting. This raised questions about the group’s future, considering that Hall had been the group’s founder and main songwriter.
By now, most of those doubts have been allayed. “Enjoy the Ride,” with only one song credited to Hall, has proved to be even more popular than the first album. Sugarland has been touring as a duo for nearly a year and half, with no drop in fan enthusiasm.
Sugarland had to cancel three tour dates earlier this week because of Nettles’ case of tonsillitis. However, Sunday’s show still had the green light as of press time. The opening act will be Blue County.
‘Superstars of Country: Live in Concert’
Eleven shows, Friday through July 15, Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights
Actually, this show does not feature the real superstars; it features a lineup of superstar impersonators.
Here’s the roster:
“Corrie Sachs as Reba McEntire.
“Russ Hedrick as Charlie Daniels.
“Annika Nielsen as Faith Hill.
“Dean Simmons as Garth Brooks.
“Jilla Roberts as Gretchen Wilson.
All of them have experience in Las Vegas tribute shows. The promoters promise no lip-synching; all of the vocals will be performed live.
In addition to these five “stars,” the show will feature a group of dancers and a backup band. Some of the numbers will be choreographed production numbers.
You can expect to hear some of the biggest hits from the stars’ repertoires, including McEntire’s “Fancy,” Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Hill’s “If My Heart Had Wings,” Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” and Wilson’s “All Jacked Up.”