Tonight: Merle Haggard at TPAC
Wow. Merle Haggard. Now, he’s come through Kansas City in recent memory, but he played the Midland, which is a fairly high-end joint. Let’s be fair: country as Kansas City is, it’s got nothing on Topeka. My wife and I saw George Jones at the Topeka Performing Arts Center back in February, and the people watching is worth half the ticket price alone. And when you figure these classic country shows run $40 to $60, you need all the entertainment value you can get from your dollar. Thankfully, there’s not a bad seat in the house at the TPAC.
I’ve never seen Mr. Haggard live before, but I do own both Okie From Muskogee and The Fightin’ Side of Me, live albums from 1969 and 1970, respectively. They were both recorded during Haggard’s time as a rising star, and they are electric. He’s got the audience eating out of the palm of his hand; he was quite possibly the most personable entertainer around those days, playing his songs with aplomb as well as covers by artists like Jimmie Rodgers (if you don’t own Same Train, Different Time, then shame on you) and Bob Wills.
In the course of a covers medley on The Fightin’ Side of Me he does several impersonations. His Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash aren’t too bad, but Haggard does spot-on, pitch-perfect takes on Hank Snow and Buck Owens. Combine the live records with this review from the last time he played Topeka, in 2002, and I am in full-bore fanboy mode, especially when I start thinking about his list of hits.
