County Fair

I've never been one for live concerts. The quality of performance just never stands up to the well-engineered 60th take from the studio that we are accustomed to hearing on the radio (or iPod, as the case may be). Since moving to California, however, I've taken in several concerts, mostly at state or county fairs. And most of them pretty much met my low expectations. One exception was "Three Dog Night," whom I saw at a state fair several years ago. Other notables I've caught are Chely Wright, Alan Jackson, Jessica Andrews, a child country singer who was hot at the time (his now-cold name escapes me), Tower of Power, and an aging rock group or two.

Last week at the county fair I saw "Restless Heart", not because I knew who they are, but because admission was free that day and I was able to fit it into my busy social calendar. Turns out they have had several hits, one that I recognized, "I'll Still be Loving You." Last night another famous singer came to the fair, and I decided to take in her concert as well, one of her songs having close personal relevance. I knew it would be impossible to get near the several-hundred-seat venue, but I was asked to help sell caramel corn at a stand just a couple hundred feet away for a church group. So I went.

The singer is a really small woman, much smaller than she appears in her videos, and her stage manner could use some coaching. Mostly she sat on a stool or pranced around the stage with one arm pointing straight up, presumably to energize the crowd. The music was too loud and she sang too loud, often distorting the amplified version of her voice. It sounded mostly OK from the caramel corn booth, but when I wandered closed to the stands it became quite unpleasant.

Her last song was apparently her most popular, though I didn't recognize it. Her penultimate number, though, was the one I went to hear.

If you ever get a chance to see her in concert, I hope you dance instead.