Toby Keith

‘Shock ‘N’ Y’all’

Mullins Center

Amherst

Feb. 12

For a venue that has had trouble selling events in the past, taking a risk and bringing in a controversial act like Toby Keith was a brilliant move on behalf of the Mullins Center. The Northeast is a market often overlooked by country acts but those that do make it here never have trouble drawing a crowd, and Toby Keith’s appearance in Amherst on Thursday was no exception.

From the opening song to the final notes of an all-too-brief encore, Keith rocked the crowd with a raucous set lasting just shy of two hours. He kept the crowd laughing with his deadpan comments (“Everywhere I go I find a crowd of rednecks”), cheering wildly at his politically incorrect “bus songs” that will never be released to radio and stomping their feet, begging for more of what can only be called great country music.

Sharing the stage with the larger-than-life country star was a 13-member band that included a trumpet, a saxophone, and a trombone, as well as three female backup singers whose only job, it seems, was to model the latest belly-bearing fashion trends. Purists would probably object to a theatrical tour like this, arguing that pyrotechnics and elaborate sets have little place on the country music stage. But, Keith never claimed to be a purist and those critics must have never seen Keith’s show.

Keith opened his show with a video where he and country music parodist, Cledus T. Judd, provide the voices of two dogs, one of which has “made it big.” The crowd reacted to various clips of Dan Rather (boos), Keith’s brief promotional appearance in a professional wrestling ring (cheers) and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks (more boos).

It would be easy to get lost in the humor of the show – and there is a lot of it – but the key to a Toby Keith concert is the music. The underlying barroom, meat market, pick-up chicks theme of “I Love This Bar” is amusing, but it was Keith’s strong baritone and the tight performance of his band that made the song flawless. The same thing applied to every song of the evening. With talent like that, it’s hard not to respect the music.

Keith is as expert at plucking the heartstrings as he is the guitar strings. One of few slow moments came as Keith sang his hit “My List.” The crowd grew almost silent, thoughtful as the lights dimmed. Keith made his way from one side of the stage to the other, playing to the fans sitting almost behind the stage.

Arguably, the most emotional part of the night came at the end of the show, when Keith sang his two patriotic hits, “American Soldier” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”

During “Soldier,” with only a single spot for lighting and a video of troops rolling in the background, Keith sang proudly to a crowd that was loud only when he belted out the lyrics “freedom don’t come free.” By the end of the song, it was clear that both the crowd’s response and emotional nature had rendered him speechless and close to tears.

Played on an American flag-decorated guitar, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” brought the house down when Keith barked, “We’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way.” Elaborate pyrotechnics exploded all around him, and red, white and blue confetti fell from the rafters.

Opening act Blake Shelton has the potential to be a bona-fide country star, if he can allow himself to completely relax in front of a crowd. Shelton has a good range with his voice and is a strong presence on stage, but didn’t seem to be comfortable straying from the recorded versions of his songs. That didn’t stop the crowd from singing along with Shelton as he crooned hits like “The Baby and “Austin.”

The one time Shelton did take a risk with his vocal style was on “Ol’ Red,” and the potential for stardom was obvious.