The American Way of Life
We went to a concert recently - my lovely wife won VIP tickets to a concert that was being sponsored by her company.
The concert was part of the “AVO Session” series of concerts that take place in Basel each autumn. (Well, up through 2012, since AVO Cigars will not sponsor the event anymore after that).
Anyway, the evening was promoted as “the American Way of Life”, with two country music bands: Steve Earle & the Dukes feat. Allison Moorer, followed by Toby Keith.
I was surprised how “mainstream” country music has become. The singing style is still very different than rock or pop, but the rhythms and melodies have changed significantly in the past years.
Steve Earle and his band took the stage first. I was highly impressed by the music and his message. I had the feeling that his show was “honest” - he had a message that he truly believes in, and he has turned that message into some powerful songwriting. Additionally, he didn’t seem to need to be the center of attention - he could step back and let his musicians take the spotlight. His band was amazing - every one of them was multi-instrumental. Steve even left the stage to let his wife, Allison Moorer, sing a ballad. He made a point of introducing (and complementing) each member of the band - showing again that he respects their talents and abilities.
Later, Toby Keith took the stage. What immediately stuck me - he put himself in front, and all of the other musicians (there were 10 people on the stage!) were behind him. His music was much more commercial - with more topics about drinking, partying and such. Even his “silly” song about a red solo cup - definitely an earworm, but without any real message. His show was very professional but also somewhat “sterile”. He seemed to need to be #1 - he didn’t even bother to introduce the other 9 people on stage with him.
Maybe it’s just that Steve Earle’s message was closer to my political opinions, or maybe I’m just a fan of honest music, but either way, I felt that Steve Earle’s show was the better of the two.
The concert was part of the “AVO Session” series of concerts that take place in Basel each autumn. (Well, up through 2012, since AVO Cigars will not sponsor the event anymore after that).
Anyway, the evening was promoted as “the American Way of Life”, with two country music bands: Steve Earle & the Dukes feat. Allison Moorer, followed by Toby Keith.
I was surprised how “mainstream” country music has become. The singing style is still very different than rock or pop, but the rhythms and melodies have changed significantly in the past years.
Steve Earle and his band took the stage first. I was highly impressed by the music and his message. I had the feeling that his show was “honest” - he had a message that he truly believes in, and he has turned that message into some powerful songwriting. Additionally, he didn’t seem to need to be the center of attention - he could step back and let his musicians take the spotlight. His band was amazing - every one of them was multi-instrumental. Steve even left the stage to let his wife, Allison Moorer, sing a ballad. He made a point of introducing (and complementing) each member of the band - showing again that he respects their talents and abilities.
Later, Toby Keith took the stage. What immediately stuck me - he put himself in front, and all of the other musicians (there were 10 people on the stage!) were behind him. His music was much more commercial - with more topics about drinking, partying and such. Even his “silly” song about a red solo cup - definitely an earworm, but without any real message. His show was very professional but also somewhat “sterile”. He seemed to need to be #1 - he didn’t even bother to introduce the other 9 people on stage with him.
Maybe it’s just that Steve Earle’s message was closer to my political opinions, or maybe I’m just a fan of honest music, but either way, I felt that Steve Earle’s show was the better of the two.