Country In The Park Concert, Sacramento, CA (09/10/00)
by Richard L.
I flew to Sacramento from Southern California this weekend in order to see
Billy Gilman in concert at the Country In The Park Concert along with Shane
McAnally and Randy Travis. Billy was the reason I went and he did not
disappoint his fans. In fact, he was tremendous! It was great to see this
outstanding young star so early in his career and I will never forget it.
Billy did not perform with a band, but rather with pre-recorded music, but no
one missed the band. They were there to see Billy. He entered the stage and
started the show with his personal favorite from his album, Little Bitty
Pretty One. He has great stage presence and connected immediately with his
audience. Of course, the most enthusiastic were the kids, but everybody was
into the show, even we 44 year olds! Having played his album almost every day
since I bought it, I found myself singing right along with him, as were many
in the audience. His next song was the equally upbeat I Think She Likes Me, a
definite favorite of the squealing 12 year old girls. Then it was time for
his powerful new single, Oklahoma, which brought tears to the eyes.
Throughout the concert Billy was smiling, upbeat and was clearly enjoying
himself as much as his audience was enjoying him. He changed pace and
performed the fun song on his album, The Snake Song. One fan handed him a cut
off garden hose while he was singing and I'm sure Billy will continue to use
it as a prop for his future performances. He made one little girl's day when
he led the audience in Happy Birthday to her. Then he did a song from Asleep
At The Wheel in tribute to his mentor, Ray Benson. It was a song about Texas,
but I don't know which one because every song by Asleep At The Wheel is about
Texas! [I think the song Richard is talking about was "Boogie Down To Texas"]
His next number was I Wanna Get To Ya, another crowd favorite. Billy
ended the concert, of course, with the song that started it all, One Voice.
Then it was over, but for 45 minutes on a hot afternoon in Discovery Park in
Sacramento, Billy Gilman made magic on stage. Believe me, it was worth every
penny it cost me to fly up and go to the concert. To have been standing right
in front of my fellow Rhode Islander while he performed my favorite songs of
the 21st century was truly exciting. Someday I would love to meet Billy
Gilman. He is very special!
Richard Lemire
Riverside, California
© 2000 Richard Lemire, All Rights Reserved (09/12/00)
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