Country rocker Toby Keith brought his American Ride tour to Penticton last night at the South Okanagan Events Centre and delivered a show that got his audience of boisterous cowboys and fawning cowgirls to their feet early and kept them standing all night long. Standing, that is, and hootin’ and hollerin’, through a slightly more than one hour set of hit after hit that included songs such as Should’ve been a Cowboy, Little Less Talk, Beer For My Horses, I Wanna Talk About Me, As Good As I Once Was, I Love This Bar, Weed With Willie, God Love Her, Who’s Your Daddy, and Let’s Get Drunk and Be Somebody.Toby Keith personifies the “good-ole boy” just looking to have a good time thing to the core. He just happens to be in a position to party with thousands of his fans on a nightly basis and seems more than happy to invite them all along for the ride. Right from rising up from the bed of a pickup truck rolled out onto the stage to start the show, to the bombastic and over the top encore of Courtesy of the Red White And Blue and How Do You Like Me Now, there was never any doubt about who was throwing this party.Keith took every opportunity to get close to and interact with his audience, often touching hands or pounding fists between songs. This was a very high energy show, but his ability and desire to make that contact and connection throughout the entire evening added an extra dimension that somehow allowed just enough time to pause and catch your breath before they were headlong into another scorcher.Keith’s band is versatile, to say the least. And tight. Bassist and band-leader Chuckie Goff coaxed the Easy Money Band through seamless transitions and extended and improvised versions of Keith’s hits. Long time guitarist Rich Eckhardt brought his mastery of many diverse guitar styles to play in solo after solo that, along with the bands ability to change on a dime, kept one wondering if they were listening to a country band, a rock band, or some kind of 70s era psychedelic jam band. No shortage of energy or creativity here.The night ended with an encore made up of Courtesy of the Red White And Blue and How Do You Like Me Now that sent the crowd home more than just happy or high.Quick shout-out to George Canyon, who played a longer than average opening set. This man has got some real good songs, and an easy way and unique personality on the stage. He and his band provided both a great set in its own right, and the perfect setup for Toby Keith to follow. Canyon, from an artistic stand point, is more than ready to headline.
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