What Festiva saw at the Texas Country Live Music Festival
It was a country music fan’s fantasy come true.
Six bands, two stages, cold drinks and a warm, breezy night combined to create Texas Country Live Music Fest. Valley-bred band Last Call opened things up, followed by Joey Green Band, Mark McKinney and Jackson Taylor respectively.
The Randy Rogers Band headlined the event, taking the stage about 10:30 p.m. with hit “Tonight’s Not the Night” and Rogers declaring, “What a good-looking Saturday night crowd.”
The five guys — led by their primary songwriter and lead-singing namesake — were unassuming rockers in jeans, band Tees and baseball caps. Once praised by USA Today for having “loads of grit, swagger and heart,” the band isn’t about fashion, bells or whistles. Instead, it’s about identifiable lyrics about life and love and a sweet accompanying sound.
“I think the Valley needs some fiddle, boy,” Rogers said as the band launched into “Like It Used to Be.” Fiddle player Brady Black delivered for the crowd.
A string of favorite tunes followed, including the rhythmic “Ten Miles Deep,” “Wicked Ways,” “You Could’ve Left Me,” “I Miss You With Me” and “Lost and Found.”
Rogers thanked God for keeping the forecasted rain at bay and dedicated “This Time Around” to anyone with a broken heart. On the relationship-gone-bad song “One Last Goodbye,” he said, “Sometimes when you don’t love each other, (intercourse) is better.”
The band began the show’s descent with the anticipated “Kiss Me in the Dark.”
Rogers said, “You can go to a lot of shows, but you’re more likely to make out at a Randy Rogers show.”
Fans two-stepped to “Somebody Take Me Home” as the encore turned into an empty dance floor littered with empty aluminum cans.
The TCL series continues June 24 with Cross Canadian Ragweed and July 23 with Fowler Fest, featuring Deryl Dodd, Roger Creager and Kevin Fowler at Las Palmas Race Park in Mission.
