MERCEDES - Country music, beer and cowboy hats capped the first day of the 68th annual Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show on Friday.

Bundled up for a nippy night, hundreds of people gathered in the sandy dirt of the rodeo pit while others lined the stands to hear country music star Tracy Byrd and former American Idol star Josh Gracin.

Their concert ended the first day of the livestock show on an unusually cold night in the Valley. Before the bands took the stage, a fireworks display dazzled the crowd.

The percussive blasts echoed through the crowd through the duration of 10-minute pyrotechnic display, with the wind sweeping the sulphur-tinged smoke into the roofed arena.

Edinburg resident Hector Peralez Jr., decked out in a cowboy hat, sat in the stands eager for the concert to begin, as indie rock and at least one Slayer song played.

"We came for the concert, and afterwards were going to the exhibit," the 46-year-old said.

Shortly after 8:40 p.m., Gracin took the stage. The 27-year-old former Marine made it to the final 12 in the second season of American Idol, only to be eliminated before the finals.

Since his appearance on the show, the Michigan native's star has risen on the country music scene. But for some at the concert, he was just that guy from the show.

"I love the music," said 48-year-old Mission resident Dean Lougheed, who often listens to Gracin on the radio at work. "But I don't remember the (song) names."

Others, like Harlingen resident Barbara Price, 60, had no idea who was playing. But with a free ticket, a hankering for country music and a good word about the performers from her daughter, she sat with her husband in the stands.

"Our daughter knows a lot of the Texas country music," she said.
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Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.