LIVE: ALAN JACKSON – March 23, 2018

Venue: Huntington Center

City: Toledo, OH

Date: March 23, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Todd ‘ToddStar’ Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

There are musicians, stars, and legends.  As I made my way down I-75 from Detroit towards Toledo’s Huntington Center, I realized I was going to witness a true country legend perform and better yet, I was armed with my camera ready to capture the moment forever.  The venue was filling up as the opening bell rang and opener Randy Houser took the stage.  After travelling internationally in order to open this show, you had no clue that Houser was running on fumes, as his voice and performance were awesome.  He and his band ran through his hits, including a song or two that he wrote and other artists performed.  He constantly paid homage to the man we were all here to see, exclaiming it was a true honor to open these shows.  Once his set was done, the stage hands went to work and shifted the stage for what was about to happen – Alan Jackson was coming to Toledo to sing for his friends and fans.

The venue was sold out and it was quite obvious as the crowds anticipation grew from minute to minute waiting for Mr. Jackson to hit the stage.  With a roar, the lights went out and a short video recapping the man’s career came on reminding us (as if we needed it) how Alan shifted from musician to star to legend.  As the video came to a close and his band kicked the show into gear, Jackson sauntered across the stage and took his place in front of the mic and started sing “Gone Country” smiling the whole time.  As that song came to an end, he reached back for a guitar and off we went, enjoying songs from his entire career.  One of the highlights of the performance was when he started a storytellers style part of the show as the band all came forward and sat on chairs and stools for a couple songs while Alan took us all down memory lane and back to the start of his career.  Before that, the one-two punch of “Summertime Blues” and “Who’s Cheatin’ Who” got the crowd revved up for the show… and put the latter song in my head for two days.  Other classics rolled from the stage as Alan took us through other hits like “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” “Remember When,” and the party track “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”  Looking around the floor and into the stands, it was wall to wall Alan Jackson fans – they knew the words to every song and sang at times loud enough to hear over the music.  As the show neared the end, “Chatahoocee” and “Where I Came From” floated out of the sound system and putting everyone in a great mood even though they knew the night was coming to and end.  Do yourself a favor and grab tickets for you and your friends when Jackson swing near your town – it will be a fun night full of great music… and you too will get to see a legend!

LIVE PHOTO SET FROM MARCH 23

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries