Neal McCoy played to a sold out audience at the Dusty Armadillo on Saturday night (Jan. 27) and with his performance he proved why so many people still follow him and come out to see him in concert. This was my first time seeing McCoy live and I regret having waited so long to see his show.
It’s true that you don’t hear McCoy on the radio much these days, but that didn’t stop the crowd from singing with him on almost every song during his 90 minute set. Despite being almost 60 years old, he puts on show with more energy and laughter than many of the newer country artists. Once he hit the stage, he did not stop moving or interacting the entire night.
McCoy signed on to Atlantic Records back in 1990, and has had numerous chart successes that he brought to the show. Performing with a solid 4-piece backing band made up of industry veterans, McCoy played his hits including, “The Shake”, “Wink”, “No Doubt About It”, “Beverly Hillbilly Rap”, “The City Put the County Back in Me” and many more. He even gave each member of his band a turn to sing a song and show off their talents.
He did play a few newer songs including the controversial “Take a Knee…My Ass!” that ended with the crowd cheering and chanting “USA” over and over. Besides being such a dynamic and fun performer, McCoy is also a genuinely nice guy. He loves his fans and makes sure that each and every one knows how much he appreciates them for such a long and wonderful career. A very touching moment in the show came when he introduced a special guest who came all the way from Chicago to see him perform. That special guest is battling a rare form of cancer and is wheelchair bound, (photo above) but McCoy took the time to sing a song with him.
If you have not seen Neal McCoy perform then do yourself a favor and take a trip to watch this performer captivate and energize audiences of all ages. You’ll get that rare opportunity to see one of the best country performers out there today.
Mark Leach opened the show with a set of originals that demonstrated why he is one of the areas most popular songwriters. Accompanied only by a percussionist, Leach is very comfortable in front of a sold-out audience delivering his songs and stories. He played some new songs but the highlight of the evening was “She Don’t Go To Church,” which was received with great a response and had everyone singing by the end. Soon, Mark will be headlining his own tours.
