Concert review: Former country music chart toppers fail to deliver
It was a country night at The Palace Theatre last week when Tennessee-based country music group Lonestar stopped in Greensburg.
But for what was supposed to be a celebration tour of their 20th anniversary and reunion, the energy was sorely lacking.
The male quartet, made up of lead vocalist Richie McDonald, lead guitarist Michael Britt, drummer Keech Rainwater and keyboardist Dean Sams, performed to a sleepy crowd during Dec. 3rd’s show in the historic theater, with attendance seemingly low.
The first several numbers, including hits like “No News,” “Front Porch Looking In” and “Mr. Mom” seemed rushed as 53-year-old McDonald ironically wandered around the stage with a lax gait.
In their heyday, Lonestar was one of the most popular country groups with more than a dozen charted hits. But even their power ballad “I’m Already There” was diminished by what sounded like McDonald’s missed cues and notes. There were several discernible moments in which McDonald’s bandmates seemed to look at him in what may have been confusion, frustration or humor after words were jumbled or he was late coming in.
Overall, McDonald gave off a rather bored vibe, which was a turnoff to the paying customers — or at least this one — who shelled out between $35 and $65 for the performance. It seemed as though they were just going through the motions, which was also evident in the quick promotion of their supposedly new hit single, “Pretty Good Day,” though its repetitive, bland and the sound fell flat.
Again, for allegedly being an anniversary tour, some of their more popular singles like “Tequila Talking,” “Come Cryin’ To Me” and “You Walked In” were nowhere to be heard.
McDonald even made quips about being “contractually obligated” to perform Christmas songs during the performance. It wasn’t clear if it was from masked bitterness or an attempt to be funny, but it only served to put more distance between the audience and the performers, which should be a cardinal rule of bad band etiquette.
That all being said, they performed their Christmas lineup well, including their renditions of popular carols like “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” and “The Little Drummer Boy” from their 2000 Christmas album. They even brought a delighted fan onstage to sing “Winter Wonderland” with them, though it was fairly tacky.
For the energy that McDonald seemed to lack, Sams made up for, bouncing around the stage with his trusty ‘keytar’ and engaging the audience in playful banter.
There were a few other high points in the hour-and-a-half show, including their stellar cover of Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis” off of their 2003 Greatest Hits album. With deep gospel vocals and crisp piano strains, the soulful song echoed in the powerful acoustics of the theater.
And their swan song, “Amazed,” was met with applause from love-struck audience members.
But as the enthralled audience took to their feet to cheer for the band, the house lights went up and the moment was lost. No encore or lingering moments other than a quick “thank you” and a single bow.
It’s not clear whether there were health or emotional issues, or if it was just the strain of a long tour that hindered the quality of the evening, but it certainly wasn’t what was expected of a chart-topping band that’s been around for more than 20 years.