Toby Keith’s not a gifted singer like George Strait, George Jones or Conway Twitty. And the Oklahoma native ain’t as pretty to look at as Brad Paisley or Kenny Chesney.
But Keith’s got charm and a stage presence that’s as loud as the booming cannons that shot confetti and fireworks at the Colonial Center Saturday night.
Funny stage banter doesn’t make a performer great, but Keith’s comic turns of phrases, especially in songs, along with his hard hat approach to songwriting, make him a star.
Songs such as “Stays in Mexico,” “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” “Get Drunk and Be Somebody” and “I Love this Bar” kept the more than 11,000 fans out of their seats, but they weren’t exceptional.
The concert was exceptional during Keith’s acoustic interlude with one of the openers, Steve Emrick. “The Taliban Song” and “Weed With Willie” are Keith’s wittiest and punchiest tunes, and stripped down they were easily embraced.
The concert’s pace was faster than the Ford truck Keith drove in the movie short before his set. “Whiskey Girl,” “Beer For My Horses” and “As Good As I Once Was” were smooth, even though Keith said he was “under the weather.” (He then mentioned he was feeling OK thanks to the Jack Daniels backstage.)
Keith’s funny (in the wrong way) reggae accent on the Caribbean reworking of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” was fake and dry. Almost as bad as Matisyahu’s, the Hasidic Jewish wannabe dancehall king. It should’ve been left in Key West.
Unlike most big concerts, Keith’s openers kept the crowd’s attention.
Joe Nichols, with his Christian Bale-as-Bruce Wayne good looks, sings with a honky tonk goofiness (it’s the smile) that had women screaming just about every time he ran his hand through his hair.
Nichols’ songs, including “Size Matters (Someday),” “Tequila Makes Her Take Her Clothes Off” and “The Impossible,” are country-pop hits that work, but only if the audience has been drinking.
And there was a plenty of that going on, along with a lot of Gamecock lovin’. (South Carolina beat Kentucky to reach the SEC championship game).
Though Keith was ever-amusing, Kentucky native (and Wildcat fan) Rebecca Lynn Howard, who showed off her big voice on the ballad “Forgive,” had the best one-liner of the night.
“You all put a pounding on us today,” she said before flashing a smile.