Rogers Arena- Vancouver, BC

With Trace Atkins, Jaron and the Long Road to Love

Vancouver’s Country music fans attended Toby Keith’s concert looking for a high-energy, rowdy show, and Toby Keith did not disappoint.

The set started out with a video of Keith explaining how 10 years ago he almost threw in the towel, and how never giving up lead him to where he is today. As Keith said, “They challenge you, you meet the challenge. They want to fight- you show them who is number ONE.”
Toby Keith entered the stage area in the cab of a truck, only to disappear and soon reappear out the back of the truck, with plenty of fireworks and fire, where he performed the first track,and exclaimed how he loves this North American ride tonight.

Keith’s whole performance was a big sing-a-long, especially with hits such as “I’m Just Talking About Tonight,” fan favorite “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “God Love Her,” “Who’s Your Daddy,” and “How Do You Like Me Now.” “Beer For My Horses” was performed with the video where Willie Nelson sung his parts. “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This,” found Keith exclaiming that nobody writes a song about kissing anymore because guys are interested in more than just kissin,’ as it’s the girls who care about the kiss.

Eddy Raven was a surprise guest, performing two tracks: “I’ve Got Mexico” and “Who Do You Know in California.”

The concert took an emotionally driven turn, even bringing a tear to my eye, as Keith sung the song he had written to sing at the funeral for his close friend who lost the battle with cancer last year, Wayman Tisdale. Wayman Tisdale was a former NBA basketball player and jazz bass guitarist. It was apparent how much Keith misses Tisdale, as Keith sung and the tribute video played on the screen.

Keith showed his appreciation for those who provide service for the US (firefighters, police, military, while not forgetting to show appreciation for those who serve in Canada, by performing tracks such as “”American Soldier.” Adkins, joined Keith on stage for his encore to perform“Courtesy of the Red White and Blue.” Fans chanted “Toby” as they anxiously waited for him to re-appear, and when he did, he exclaimed “If they want Toby Keith, I’m going to f***ing give them Toby Keith.” And that he did.

Keith even impressed the Vancouver crowd with the track “I’ll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again,” accompanied by an animated backdrop of marijuana leaves and blunts. According to Keith, most people in attendance would know the song, though it was never released. If one didn’t know the song, chances are the person beside them could sing along. The sing-along may have proven this to be true (though the lyrics on the video screen may have helped).

Revving the audience up for Keith was his long-time friend Trace Atkins, opening the set with flames over the screens, and much screaming for Atkins as he took the stage.

Atkins was definitely given a wonderful reception for apparently his first time in Vancouver, leading Atkins to show his appreciation by addressing the crowd by saying that “the fact you paid good money to come see us means a lot.” From the high-energy “Swing,” and “Marry for Money” to the slower “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Atkins did not disappoint or miss a beat. Atkins stated that “You’re Gonna Miss This” was a song about his kids, and how much he loves them, while the next song was a “nasty song about their Mamma,” entitled “Hot Mamma.”

Atkin’s new album “Cowboy’s Back in Town”will be released August 17th, but gave a preview of a couple new tracks off the album, including his latest single “This Ain’t No Love Song.” Atkins ended with his hard edged cover of Foreigner’s “Dirty White Boy,” and exited the stage only after giving away the cowboy hat off his head.

The first opener was Jaron and the Long Road to Love (best known for his brother-duo Evan and Jaron). Only Jaron on stage, he joked that the band was stuck at the border “or maybe it’s all in [his] head.” Jaron even performed “Crazy For This Girl,” one of the hits by the brother-duo. Jaron definitely did have some interesting, and a rather comical outlook on life’s different situations.

Jaron went on to explain the situation where an ex calls to tell you thinks you don’t really care to know, and how his ex called him a while back saying she was engaged and expected Jaron to be happy for her. This lead into “If Happy for You Means I Hate You…”
“Meantime Girlfriend” had Jaron expressing what a day dreamer he is, and how he will occasionally look into the car next to him while driving and decide “she’ll be [his] next girlfriend. “Meantime Girlfriend” also found Jaron switching to the keyboard. This lead to his hit single “Pray for You,” with such strong lyrics as “I pray your breaks go out running down a hill, I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I’d like to…” The polar opposite of “Pray for You,” entitled “That’s Beautiful to Me,” encompassed everything good in a relationship, and although habits may become annoying, if you stick around long enough, according to Jaron, “it becomes beautiful again.” “Pray for You” was the crowd favorite, obvious from the sing-a-long.

+Debbie Fettback