By Jeanni Ritchie
Clint Black was Back on the Blacktop as he rolled into Alexandria last month, with Drew Baldridge and Twitty & Lynn on board.
Lighting up the Laborde-Earles Coliseum stage, the three acts reminded Cenla what country music was all about.
I was excited to see opening act Twitty & Lynn, who I’d written about last year in “20 Country Music Stars to Watch For.” Trey Twitty, grandson of Conway Twitty, and Tayla Lynn, granddaughter of Loretta Lynn, have been touring together for five years, playing the songs that made their “Poppy” and “Memaw” famous.
They’ve also recently dropped some original music, closing out their set with it. It was a great set!
Twitty started out with the 1982 hit, Tight Fittin’ Jeans, before Lynn joined him onstage for the duet, Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man. They alternated singing back and forth with Slow Hand, Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind), Honky Tonk Girl, Hello Darlin’, You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man (which Lynn called “Memaw’s favorite”), You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly—and from their new Cookin’ Up Lovin’ album—Me and You.
Next up was Drew Baldridge. I wasn’t as familiar with Drew before his set, but by the time he’d finished I was comparing him to Kenny Chesney.
Not so much in style or even music, but because Kenny had come to Alexandria as an opening act as well in the ‘90s before headlining arenas across the world. Drew will undoubtedly do the same.
His energy, charisma, and soulful voice were magnetic, but it was his belief in God and Country that drew me in. He recognized the veterans in the audience, and he professed his love for God, singing “if the whole world wants to dance with the devil, then I’ll be a rebel” in his hit song Rebel.
A fun 90’s singalong mid-set had the audience playing a version of Don’t Forget the Lyrics! We joined in to hits like I Like It, I Love It; Shoulda Been a Cowboy; and Brand New Man.
Before closing out with his hit song She’s Somebody’s Daughter, Drew shared the sequel to that song: Deserve Her.
Then the main man hit the stage.
Clint Black arrived with a sense of humor, an unwavering voice, and rizz. His ability to charm a crowd of all ages earns him the right to the Gen Alpha praise.
His set list took us back. We were all singing along, couples were exchanging glances, and several piled into the aisles for impromptu clutch and sway.
From The Shoes You’re Wearing to A Better Man and No Time to Kill, Clint sang and told tales from 40 years on the road. Hayden Nicholas, his guitar player and frequent songwriting collaborator, has been with him since the beginning.
Video footage rolled on the screen behind the stage, of a young Merle Haggard during Clint’s cover of Mama Tried, and footage of Clint with wife Lisa Hartman Black played during State of Mind.
He told the tale of his dad laughing when he first said he wanted to be a songwriter. “Good grief! You haven’t lived enough at 22 to know anything,” his dad told him. Clint wrote his hit Nothing’s News to prove him wrong.
One of the most clever songs—and undeniably hardest to sing—was Tuckered Out, the 1993 song that slyly crams in over 30 fellow country music stars.
A standing encore brought Clint and the band back out for two more numbers, A Good Run of Bad Luck and We Tell Ourselves.
It was an incredible concert, and a great evening.
