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Phoenix Articles - Hooking Up and Hanging Out Tour
Sixteen thousand country music fans sang and danced their way through Toby Keith's Hooking Up and Hanging Out Concert at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on August 29th.
The show at the main grandstand kicked off with a short set by Ramsey and Harris a new duo who will be releasing their first CD later this year on Toby Keith's own label – Show Dog Records. They received a warm reception from the crowd many of whom were still filing into the grandstand.
The second act, Joe Nichols, could easily be a headliner on any other bill. He sang a full set of all his hits including “Brokenheartsville”, “Size Matters”, “What's a Guy Gotta Do”, and “Tequilla Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”. By the end of the set he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. This was a tremendous warm up to the main attraction.
Following an extended thirty minute intermission to set up the stage and to allow fan club members to “meet and greet” Toby, the main event kicked off with a video in the comic vain of Toby's music videos. The video, really an extended commercial for Ford F-1 trucks, the tour's sponsor, was quite entertaining. The video set the stage for the explosive opening where the curtain literally fell from the top of the stage amidst a sea of pyrotechnics.
The first few songs, “Stays in Mexico” and “Honkytonk U” were sung at a tempo much faster than the recorded versions and left one wondering whether Toby was trying to get out of Syracuse as quickly as possible. But just as quickly the show settled in and became a greatest hits concert.
Midway through the show the trailer for Toby's first movie “ Broken Bridges” ( premieres on September 7th) was shown on the giant screens flanking the main stage. He was joined on stage by Lindsay Huan, his co-star in the movie, to sing the title song from the movie's sound track. This was followed by a solo by Ms. Huan of “Broken”. Although her voice is strong it was no match for the outdoor setting.
The 100 minute set ended with two encores during the second of which he sang “American Soldier” and “ Courtesy of the Red and White and Blue”. These two songs relate to the war on terror and American patriotism both of which raised the decibel level of the crowd significantly.
Toby Keith keeps talk to a minimum and delivers what the fans want. A very enjoyable way to spend a summer's evening.
The song list from the concert:
Stays in Mexico
Honkytonk U
How Do You Like Me Now
I Want to Talk About Me
I Love This Bar
Weed With Willie
Should Have Been A Cowboy
Get Drunk and Be Somebody
A Little Too Late
Beer For My Horses
I'm Just Talking About Tonight
Who's Your Daddy
Whiskey Girl
As Good As I Once Was
Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action
Broken Bridges
Wish I Didn't Know Now
American Soldier
Courtesy of the Red White and Blue ( The Angry American)
Jim Gates