By Thomas Kintner, Special to the Hartford Courant
Vince Gill became one of country music's best stories in 2006, thanks to the same sort of music he has been making for years. The only difference this time around was that he made so much more of it. His October release These Days, four discs of new material that showcase his versatility across a quartet of distinct styles, was an ambitious move from an artist who has in recent years sold considerably fewer records than he did during his lengthy commercial peak in the 1990s. Speaking from his home outside Nashville, the 49-year-old Oklahoma native, who performs tonight in a sold-out show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, notes the counterintuitive quality of the project with a laugh. "The way music's becoming so single-oriented, so download-oriented, it's hard to get somebody to listen to 11 songs on a record, so I said I'm going to be a genius and put out 43."Doing so has paid off in critical acclaim, a Grammy nomination and strong sales. The collection broke 250,000 (which make it a platinum record because each sale is credited four times) last month and was in short supply as his label struggled to keep up with holiday demand. Gill shrugs off the situation, saying, "I'm just grateful for people responding to it the way they are. I've never had kinder things said about any record I've ever made." Gill's original vision was three separate albums released over the course of a year, but his label head thought enough of his results to ask for a fourth disc and combine all of them into one package of unprecedented scale. By sheer virtue of its size, the collection demands more commitment and attention from listeners than a typical album, particularly given that Gill can't count on radio support to get people familiar with its tunes.
One way Gill has been getting the word out is by touring with a 17-piece band that brings the majority of the new set to life on stage. "I think that at some point the fan base gets a little tired of the 15 hits, a couple new songs, buy a T-shirt, and we'll see you in a year-and-a half. I think this record has a great opportunity of longevity, and a show that's about 70 percent its songs gives me a chance to showcase its diversity." The album's most impressive accomplishments are its remarkably consistent quality and confident style. The subtly eclectic ballads that populate "The Reason Why" provide a delicate counterpoint to the rowdy good times that fill the rock disc "Workin' on a Big Chill," and stout country music of every shade fills the traditionally styled "Some Things Never Get Old" and the bluegrass-filled "Little Brother." Windsor-raised Al Anderson, formerly of the Wildweeds and NRBQ, co-wrote 14 of the songs. - complete article
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I went to Vince's show a few months ago in Saint Paul. Here is my review:
The show was composed of 4 distinct segments corresponding to the 4 CD box set Vince had released a little over a week prior.
Mr. Gill came out to much applause. The first song he sang was "One More Last Chance". There were about 15 people on stage (VG, 2 backup singers, 3 guitar players, pedal steel boy, a horn section, piano player, keyboard player, drums, and even someone on the bongos! Take that, Matt McConaughey!) Next was "Don't Let Our Love Start Slipppin' Away". The horn section really jazzed these familiar songs up. The place was almost completely full except for a few rows in the upper nosebleed section of the balcony.
After the first few songs, Vince launched into some of the new stuff from his Country & Western record (He noted that he hates to say that he has a new CD out. He prefers to call them records). Before each song, he would usually tell a little story about how a particular song came to be. He did an impression of John Anderson whom he had done a duet with on the song, "Take This Country Back".
After about 45 minutes of traditional country, the big guy moved on the next part of his show, ballads from his Groovy record. In this portion, he performed his new single, "The Reason Why" as well as a real jazzy number that he had recorded with Diana Krall called, "Faint of Heart". He said he wrote the track, "These Days" for his wife, Amy Grant. He made many references to Amy throughout the show. The crowd seemed to enjoy this. He said Amy is basically the kindest person he has ever known. He also mentioned their five-year old daughter, Corinna (Vince performed a song written for her, "Sweet Little Corinna"). At about 9:30, Vince said that he would be back to perform some more after an intermission.
After about 20 minutes, Vince came out by himself and told several amusing stories about his late father. How his dad's favorite outfit to wear was a cap and overalls with no shirt. How he smoked several packs of cigarettes a day. We're talkin' a real redneck here. He mentioned how as a 15-year old, he was praying that his mom would teach him how to drive since his dad had such a short fuse. However, his dad came home one day and told him to get in the truck. After a few minutes on the quieter streets, his dad told him to pull out onto the busiest street in town. Vince was shaking (this was his first time driving, after all). His dad yells at him to go. So he pulls out in front of a GTO whose driver swerves to miss them and then flips them off. His dad then says, (and you're not gonna believe Vince said this, but he was simply repeating what his dad had said) "Follow that son of a bitch!" They did catch up to GTO boy. With both cars now stopped, the guy in the GTO comes out of his car with a tire iron. His dad asks, "Are you gonna use that tire iron in this fight?" GTO boy says, "Yes" and then Vince's dad said, "Then this fight is over." He must've talked about his old man for a good 10 minutes. Everyone was enraptured. His dad passed about 8 years ago and Vince wrote a song for him called "The Key to Life". He then sang it for all to enjoy (I remember seeing him perform it on the CMA's many years ago and breaking up near the end of it).
After that, a few of his band members (banjo player, fiddle player, etc.) came out to play selections from his acoustic (bluegrass) album. Vince sang about a lady named "Molly Brown" and about how he's "All Prayed Up". He also sang a song that he wrote for Amy called "Sweet Augusta Darlin". He said she loves that song. All enjoyable stuff, but I was looking forward to the last segment. Vince introduced it by saying in a British accent, "Now it's time for the Rockin' portion of our show".
Yes, indeed. It was now time for Vince to rock out. He sang quite a few songs from his "Workin' On A Big Chill" (rockin') disc. Like the country portion of the show, there were about 15 musicians playing with Vince during this stretch.
Inspired by the proliferation of erectile dysfuntion ads that ran when he watched sporting events, Vince wrote the song, "Cowboy Up" (he sings it with Gretchen Wilson on the CD). The title character in the song is an African-American woman named Levitra.
It was during one of these rockin' songs that I experienced a feeling of transcendence. The band was totally rockin' and jammin' and a blissful feeling came over me. That's the power of music.
The last song Vince sang in the rockin' set was a jazzed-up version of "What the Cowgirls Do". Vince thanked everyone for coming. The audience stood up and he exited. The crowd cheered and Vince came back out a couple minutes later. Vince launched into the title track of his '03 album, "Next Big Thing". Then came "Whenever You Come Around" followed by the barn burner "Liza Jane". The last song Vince played was from his new album(s) and it is a doozy. Check out these lyrics:
You read the business page
See how you did today
You live up on the hill
You've got a view that kills
Never wonder why
After you've counted everything you saved
Do you ever hit your knees and pray?
You know there's gonna be a judgment day
So what will you say?
(Chorus) No matter what you make
All that you can take
Is what you give away
What you give away
There's people on the street
Ain't got enough to eat
You just shake your head
The measure of a man is one who lends a hand
That's what my father said
No matter what you make
All that you can take
Is what you give away
You know it's not too late
It's all for Heaven's sake
What you give away
With the backup singers hitting all the right notes, the song was a powerful spiritual hymn and a fantastic finish for a incredible show. The crowd gave one more standing-o as Vince and the band exited for the last time.
This was the 4th Vince concert I've been to and my favorite by far. I am looking forward to experiencing it all again next month in Wisconsin.
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