"So you want to be a rock 'n' roll star?" legendary California pop band The Byrds sang in their cynical 1967 hit single of the same name. The song, a sentiment no doubt aimed at the oodles of unworthy bands trying to scratch out a chance at success and "making it" still resonates today. The quest for rock star status has had an intoxicating effect on scads of up and comers with big dreams and stars in their eyes. But it's not only those within the genre that fantasize about this … with the advent of American Idol, home video games that fulfill the desire of being a "Rock Star" and now, in the modern version of country music, the desire to reach that status is at an all-time high. [All photos by Jeff O'Kelley.]
," an unfortunate genre that holds more reverence for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd than country music trailblazer George Jones, finds most of its central figures obsessed with the desire to emulate Mick Jagger instead of Willie Nelson while onstage. A new creation no more than watered-down pop music that features the occasional, faint hint of a steel guitar way, way off in the background. Put plainly and simply, the highest-grossing, most popular and successful country music acts today are living vicariously as the recognized rock stars of this day and age.
And judging from Friday night's display of flash pots, screaming electric guitars and bombastic, over-the-top stage entrances at the Toby Keith [pictured above] and Trace Adkins show at the 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheater, it's easy to see why.
Both headliner Toby Keith [pictured above] and support act Trace Adkins have obviously made a conscious effort to erase the stereotypical, stoic "stand at your mic and strum your guitar" ethic of country artists of yesteryear; no, these slick showmen have instead dug a little deeper into the stage shows of Motley Crue and Kiss rather than those of George Strait or Randy Travis.
The sheer size and magnitude of each artists' stage gear was downright staggering; no doubt subscribing to the "bigger is better" credo, both of these towering men came equipped with enough wattage and equipment to accommodate six bands. No, the world of country music is no longer a down-home, humble one; it's morphed into a glitzy, showy extravaganza of gimmicks and gloss. And these two men are two of the leading purveyors of this mentality.
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2010.