Mighty fine and a great big western howdy, buckaroo and buckarettes! I've just returned from a trail drive down Bardstown way, the end purpose of which was to hook up with America's Favorite Cowboys, Riders in the Sky. I'm happy to report that it was a successful trip!
Riders in the Sky rode into the beautiful J. Dan Talbott amphitheater (normally home to Stephen Foster, the Musical) for show number 3600 in their long and checkered career. Besides reaching the 3600 milestone, August 4 was also the Riders' 100th performance in the Bluegrass State. (Faithful saddlepals will recall that Riders in the Sky began their road career on August 23, 1978, at the Kentucky State Fair. Truly faithful saddlepals will recognize August 23 as Woody Paul's birthday!)
The excitement started before the performance, when a lady saddlepal was overcome by the emotion of the moment (or the heat, I'm not sure which) and had to be revived before the show began. Fear not! The lady recovered and enjoyed the show.
Performance 3600 began, as so many do, with "Texas Plains," followed immediately by "That's How the Yodel Was Born." In a new twist for this year, Too Slim introduced The Idol of American Youth and Oldest Living Member of Riders in the Sky as the "Hormone Hurricane." One can only wonder where Slim comes by his information, and how Ranger Doug has earned this new appellation!
A complete playlist follows this report, but it's worth mentioning that the Sioux City Sue courted by Woody Paul was again described as a geriatric alcoholic with blue hair and red eyes, and the boys performed a few selections from Ranger Doug's new album, Monstrous Ego Runs Amuck (a.k.a., Songs of the Sage, including two of my personal favorites, "Night Riding Song" and "Amber Eyes," which Ranger Doug told the audience he was singing for donna j. Evidently he spotted me in the audience, 4th row, center, and made my night by singing one of my favorites for me!).
Palindrome made a quick appearance, still demonstrating that amazing knack for speaking in sentences which, when spelled backward, are exactly the same as when they are spelled forward, but the highlight of the first half of the show (apart from "Amber Eyes," of course!) was Woody Paul again singing "In the Arms of My Love." It's a lovely waltz, and if you've never heard Dr. Woody sing the lyrics, you've really missed something special!
After a 45-minute set, the boys took a short break, and returned for another long set, starting off with a series of songs from Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry. After a rousing version of "After You've Gone," the Riders fielded questions from the audience. Among other things, they explained how they got together (describing personal ads that said, in part, "Men with big hats seek men with big hats. Musical experience a plus, but not necessary," and disclosing their group's original name for the first time, which was, according to Too Slim, Two Jacks and an Ass), and they tried to translate a question that finally ended up something like, "Can you sing Dizzy's song about stupid people?" The originator of that question ended up with the 8-track tape because no one, including the person's own party, knew what the question was.
They took requests, which included "Free Bird" and "Surfin' USA," both of which showed up in the "medley." As the show was nearing its end, we heard several old classics, including "Cool Water," "Don't Fence Me In," and "Cattle Call" (straight this time...no circus trains!), and we were treated to some spiffy Varmint Dancing by the king of varmint dancing, Too Slim. But eventually, all good things must come to an end, and Payday did indeed Roll Around. After "Happy Trails," the boys left the stage, but a standing ovation brought them back out to do "You Are My Sunshine." Yet that was not enough for the fans, who were evidently starved for entertainment. With much cajoling, the Riders left the stage and came out into the audience to give us their version of Riders Unplugged with "He Walks with the Wild and the Lonely.
It was a beautiful, clear, relatively cool evening under the stars that those of us lucky enough to be there will not forget, thanks to three men in big hats!
Editorial opinion (the rest of this review has of course been written completely without bias of any kind): Fun is fun, but everybody has to have their bubble burst at some time or another. After the show, while the boys were schmoozing with their fans, one very nice lady was overheard asking The Oldest Living Member of Riders in the Sky whether he had ever watched cowboy shows in the movies or on TV "back when [he was] a young man." While the words probably had a different meaning when she said them than they did when I heard them, I'd like to state unequivocally for the record that (IMHO) Ranger Doug is very definitely still a young man at heart, as are Woody, Slim, and Joey! They must be, to bring Saturday morning cowboys to life so vividly for all us fans seeking our lost childhoods. Thanks, guys!
SEEKING INFORMATION: If you are "one of the dozen," please e-mail me and tell me. It seems nobody has a list of who the dozen are with a few exceptions, so please let me know ASAP if you are one of us. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you aren't one of the dozen. Sorry!) Thanks!
August 4, 1997 The J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater, Bardstown, Kentucky
Performance #3600 (#100 in Kentucky)
Opening
Texas Plains
That's How the Yodel Was Born
Miss Molly
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Palindrome
Farr Away Stompp (a.k.a., Salute to Our 4-Footed Friends)
South of the Border
Sioux City Sue
Night Riding Song
Rawhide
Cowboy Camp Meetin' (without a doubt the best I've ever heard them do this without Joey!)
Amber Eyes ("for donna j."!)
In the Arms of My Love
Trail Tip Song
Ghostriders in the Sky
Riding the Winds of the West
***INTERMISSION***
Back in the Saddle Again
Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine
Riding Down the Canyon
After You've Gone
Questions (Everybody Has Questions, for Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, and Too Slim)
Requests
Cool Water
Don't Fence Me In
Cattle Call
Varmint Dancing
When Payday Rolls Around
Happy Trails
***ENCORE***
Looney Toons Theme/The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
You Are My Sunshine
***RIDERS UNPLUGGED***
He Walks with the Wild and the Lonely
All that being said, 'til donna j. rides your way once again, so long saddlepals! It's been so good to see ya!
donna j.
Every day...the Cowboy Way!
All photos and material ©1997-2013 by donna j.
