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Gary P Nunn at Cowboys Red River
A night out at the bigger nightclubs in Dallas/Fort Worth
these days usually means nothing but a bucket full of Tim McGraw
and Shania Twain. Which is fine if you're a Lexus driving country
wannabe. But it wasn't always so. There was a time when Cowboys
out on Gaston Avenue would be filled wall to wall for the likes
of George Jones or Merle Haggard. They'd even play Waylon and
Willie now and again, and it wasn't unheard of to catch Jerry
Jeff or Gary P. Nunn playing. Then the Nineties happened, and
everybody got caught up in that Garth feller. All the college
kids decided hip hop was cool, and the country bars (no longer
honky tonks, sadly) began catering to the Nashville and urban
crowd. For music with any depth to it nowadays you have to go
elsewhere almost all the time. But on Wednesdays at Cowboys Red
River that trend is changing. The club on Gaston is no longer
around, but its spirit is coming back in the form of "Outlaw
Wednesdays," a night devoted to Texas music and Texas artists.
Tommy Alverson has played there, along with Max Stalling, Larry
Joe Taylor, Davin James and several others. But this past Wednesday
the series reached its highest point yet with one of Texas music's
finest musicians--the great Gary P. Nunn.
There was a better crowd than usual for the show, as was to
be expected since Gary P is the highest profile name in the series
thus far. And as usual for Texas artists, it was a crowd full
of real fans. They came to dance (and some of 'em were damned
good at it), they came to sing along, to enjoy the Texas atmosphere,
and most importantly, to listen. They got all that and more.
Gary P played two sets, each about an hour long. During the
first one he and the Bunkhouse Band played most of their own
well-known stuff that the crowd expected. And played every song
to its fullest--no coasting or half assed medleys going on there.
The early portion paid plenty of attention to Texas' sacred Hill
Country and the healing waters of the Guadalupe, along with a
generous dose of Corpus, Port Aransas and Padre. Larry Joe woulda
been proud. The crowd sure was. It was more than obvious that
the majority in attendance were sharing memories of Guadalupe
days and big star Texas nights, to steal a phrase. . . Wasn't
long at all before it just started feeling like family, with
everybody truly happy to let the day's work drift away and forget
for a while that tomorrow was coming. By the time "Home
with the Armadilloes" was up, the crowd was clustered at
the front of the stage and dance floor singing along and eating
it up.
There was one older lady in particular, who as a habit enjoys
going to Cowboys to sing her heart out and tear up the dance
floor all alone. (yes, all alone. I asked her once a couple years
back to dance, and she flat told me no; said she enjoys following
her late husband's lead and remembering how much they loved to
dance together, which is really kinda something I could only
hope to inspire in my own beautiful wife)
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But that night, she was nowhere near the floor--she was right
in front of the man hisself, dancing a jig, clapping and singing
for all she was worth. The energy had even made its way to the
pool tables along the back wall, where games were interrupted
to sing along and play air guitar on cue sticks. And when "What
I Like About Texas" started up, well, the hairs stood up
on the back of your neck and time stood still as the words stuck
in your throat and your spirit stood tall and you remembered
all over again that there is no place on Earth you'd rather be.
It is a great tribute both to Gary P. Nunn and to Texans themselves
that after all the times that song has been performed, it has
not become a cliche. It is the measure of an artist to make his
art true, and let me be the first to tell you, pardner, Gary
P Nunn measures up.
After that, the band left the stage as the club broke out
the Steve Earle and Robert Earl Keen CDs. The crowd quickly thinned
out, as the fifty cent beer special had expired and they assumed
the band was done. Astonishingly, there was not even a halfhearted
effort to secure an encore. Guess that's city folks for you.
But sure enough, right about midnight, the lights came back up
onstage and suddenly everything in the world was right again.
During the second set the band played a wider variety of music,
covering several of Texas' favorite sons and showing remarkable
range. The considerably smaller crowd was now almost entirely
in front of the stage, and Gary P took on a much more conversational
tone. Somebody shouted out the inevitable request for "Mr.
Bojangles," and GPN came back with a question about just
who exactly the person had come to see. Then, remarking with
a smile that it'd been a long time since the Lost Gonzo Band
and that he wasn't real sure he could remember the song, he launched
into Bojangles' first verse and did it justice. Only sang the
first verse and one chorus, but that was MORE than enough; it's
fair to say Gary P Nunn can wrap his vocal cords around that
song every bit as tenderly as Jerry Jeff ever did--and that,
folks, is high praise indeed. The set was sprinkled with gems
from all over the place, including Guy Clark's best (well, in
my opinion, anyhow) song ever, "L.A. Freeway." Even
Willie's Redheaded Stranger album got some attention, though
regrettably this reviewer for the life of him doesn't remember
which song was sung (he does, however, distinctly remember that
he was enjoying another ice cold Coors, which may play some part
in the mystery). During this second set the real fans that were
left got the benefit of a singalong on "Friends for Life,"
which was appropriate considering the amount of what must have
been just acquaintances who left after the first set. Even David
Allen Coe got a nod, with the immortal "You Never Even Called
Me (By My Name)".The evening's funniest moment occurred
when the chorus started, and three of the college crowd jumped
onstage and surrounded Gary P intending to sing along. Much to
their surprise, the man stepped aside and left them alone and
stammering in the spotlight. The bouncers quickly moved to the
stage, but Gary P and the band were laughing so hard, and still
playing seamlessly, that the guys were allowed to continue making
fools of themselves for a bit. Much to the delight of the crowd.
After about a minute of fading bravado, as it became painfully
obvious not a one of the boys could sing a lick, Gary P stepped
in said "If you don't know what you're doing, fellas, you
have to get off the stage. That's the deal."
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Never seen a singer trying so hard to keep a straight face
on stage in all my life. The guys jumped down as the bouncers
laughed out loud, and the band picked right up and finished the
song effortlessly. Shortly thereafter, just to prove there were
no hard feelings, the band honored a request from the same three
guys and ripped the top off "Whiskey River."
After the set ended, Gary P and the rest of the Bunkhouse
Band came right off the front of the stage and made it a point
to be available and say hello to whoever wanted to talk. Just
another example of why Texas music is what it is, and why we
love it so much. There is a point that needs to be driven home
here, and I'll see if I can do so without tearing down a Texas
legend. What made this show work was that the band never once
appeared to be "mailing it in." There was true enthusiasm
in the playing, and Gary P Nunn was grinning like Kinky Friedman's
cat during each and every song. Which is the second reason you
have to admire him. The first is that Jerry Jeff casts a long
shadow, and Gary P has done a masterful job of maintaining a
certain loyalty to the Gypsy Songman and his music while creating
a catalog of material that is legendary in its own right. His
fans love him, but they also remember "back in the day,"
and he allows and even promotes that while being uniquely Gary
P Nunn. And at this point in the road, he hasn't lost the joy
of the music and the interaction with the fans. I can only say
from the bottom of my heart that I hope Jerry Jeff can find that
joy again. It's a big mantle he's carried all these years, and
there are plenty of us who love him and what he's done for our
kind of music. I'd give anything for him to not be tired anymore,
and to not ever again hear somebody say he seemed to be going
through the motions at a show. I'm truly glad that hasn't happened
to the Sons of the Bunkhouse Band and their leader. Hope like
hell it never does. But either way, Gary P. Nunn brought a hell
of a lot of happiness and pride to Red River last night, and
reminded everybody once again that he is more than capable of
carrying on the legacy that is Texas Music. We're lucky to have
him, folks. Next chance you get, make sure to let him know you
realize it. How the man can keep a working ranch going, manage
his business, and still tour with the energy he does is beyond
me.
While you're out here on the web anyway, go by www.garypnunn.com
and say hello. It's a lot nicer than the old Campfire Records
site was, and there's plenty of good stuff to check out along
with a concert schedule to peruse. And if you've got the time,
maybe hit the link to Gary P's email, drop him a line and tell
him and Ruthie you appreciate 'em. She's not likely to share
him with us forever, you know.
Visit Gary P Nunn's
Web Site
You can reach Dave (Tailgunner) Pilot at:
tailgunner-at-rockzill.net
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