Every year my hometown has a festival of sorts to celebrate the city's founding in 1881. This event, dubbed "the Picnic", attracts 10,000 to the downtown park and surrounding streets, an attendance nearly three times the population of the town. The three-day jubilee has carnival rides, food served by civic organizations, and games for kids (the frog-jumping contest and the turtle race are highlights). But much of the Picnic is dedicated to free entertainment in the form of local music acts, a talent show, and - as a finale to two nights' performances - a midlevel country artist. These groups or solo acts are usually has-beens (ex: Sammy Kershaw) or artists trying to make a name for themselves (ex: Rushlow - a promising group that has since broken up). While I missed this year's Friday night performance by Big Smith (an established regional favorite), I caught the set on Saturday night by the LoCash Cowboys.
A keyboard disguised as a baby grand covered in camouflage sat on a small platform in front of the main stage as the band's cringe-inducing name was announced, and I prepped myself for a tacky country act that would give me a reason to leave the park and go buy a funnel cake. But once the band started playing, my preconceived opinions began to pivot. The band, a modern country-rock sound more Kid Rock than Rascal Flatts but without the poorly sampled songs and Tommy Lee jealousy, had very good musicians behind the two frontmen. Many of the songs they played showed their versatility. Of course there was the crowd-pleasing Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent covers, but the band also performed remarkable renditions of songs by Michael Jackson, Cindi Lauper, and The Bee Gees.
The thing that impressed me most about the performance was the crowd's reaction. The Picnic entertainment doesn't usually draw the audience to the front of the stage, but there were spectators of all ages up close and personal with the band, who was equally personal. At various points in the night, a lead singer 1) gave the sweatbands he wore on his wrists to two little kids, 2) let a man wear his cowboy hat, 3) high-fived some more kids, 4) brought some kids on stage to help sing, 5) wore t-shirts sold by the local school store, and 6) stayed to sign autographs until everyone had left. The group also was unbelievably energetic for the duration of the concert, giving the audience a solid performance through the last song. (Evidently they never get tired: I checked the band's website and they've got 125 shows in 2009 alone, including the Missouri and Iowa state fairs and a reprise on FOX News's New Year's Coverage.)
Before the Picnic, the last group I had seen in concert was Shinedown, the rock band currently on the charts for their single "Second Chance". I've seen them twice and each time was an experience. Those guys make you want to be a rockstar. Everything is picture-perfect superstar, from their powerful lyrics and mad guitar skills to their eyeliner and custom-made clothes. They really know how to entertain. But here I was, standing at a free concert, listening to a band who just wanted to be heard, but - astonishingly - I was no less entertained. By just looking at the faces of the people standing near the stage, I could see everyone felt the same: the audience was having a great time. So how do I draw a conclusion from this dichotomy? Music entertains. Talent entertains. But most importantly, passion entertains. These bands want to be on stage, they want to perform, and they want people to walk away with a smile on their face. Sometimes I think that's all it takes.
If only they could do something about that goofy name.
