Willie Nelson and Billy Bob Thornton Take The Stage

By Laura Citino
Western Herald

(Robert Youngs / Western Herald) Septuagenarian musician Willie Nelson still picks with the best of them, shown here during a concert presented on Sunday evening at Miller Auditorium.

The typical college student might be too enamored with skinny boys in aviators and eyeliner to understand what is the true heart of the American music scene. Unbeknownst to many, it lies in the twang of an old Martin guitar strummed by a pair of leathery old hands.

For those uninitiated in the country music scene, the good folks at Miller Auditorium offered a crash course in the genre on Sunday night, when Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters opened up for country music legend Willie Nelson.

It was obvious from looking at the crowd that this was not a stereotypical musical event. Old grizzled men in camouflaged hunting jackets rubbed shoulders with mothers and daughters in matching Christmas sweaters, the crowd speckled with the requisite college hipsters in just-faded-enough plaid shirts and skinny jeans. Those students were the ones who knew the secret that this particular brand of “outlaw country,” Nelson’s specialty, is the true sneering middle-finger rebellion that even hard-edged genres like punk have since lost.

But before Nelson came on to receive his Kalamazoo applause, part-time movie star and part-time rockabilly crooner Billy Bob Thornton sang with his band, The Boxmasters.

The lights went black and the crowd cheered in anticipation as a lone cigarette lit up the actor’s familiar face. As the stage lit up, it revealed a matching seven-piece ensemble, each member clad in a slick black suit with matching pocket squares and pompadours.

The audience of the sold-out show were immediately transported to a 1950s dancehall, where a gutsy rock n’ roller in a leather jacket just cranked up the jukebox. The Boxmasters pumped out song after song of fast-paced rockabilly, with touches of classic southern steel guitar and surfer rock rounding out the breakneck tunes.

Thornton’s lyrics were often lost under the surprisingly raucous guitars and thumping Hoffner bass, but a few familiar phrases popped out at intervals, revealing such classic country themes as hard-drinking and lower class living. While it was tempting to be disenchanted with talk of poverty and hard times from a movie star-shagging Oscar winner like Thornton, his emotional and soulful voice kept the cynical thoughts at bay.

(Robert Youngs / Western Herald) Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters opened for the Willie Nelson concert on Sunday evening at Miller Auditorium.

Thornton was personable and loose on stage, bantering with the crowd with a lit cigarette in hand. “I know when you’re in an auditorium like this, you can tend to be a little reserved,” he joked, gently berating the audience for sitting down during his performance. “We usually only play places where people hit each other in the heads with beer cans. As long as we keep the fire lanes clear, please feel free to stand up and dance!”

When Thornton shared a personal story about a cousin’s depression with the crowd before anti-suicide anthem “Turn It Over,” one element of country’s soul came through loud and clear. It is the ability to connect people from all walks of life, be they an average middle-class family from Kalamazoo or a famous movie star like Thorton, as they share personal moments through hard-hitting, heart-wrenching American music.

As The Boxmasters rounded off their last tune at a scorching pace, the crowd got ready for country music icon Willie Nelson to take the stage.

With no introduction necessary, Willie Nelson and his five-piece family sauntered onstage. The first roll on the snare drum cued the unfurling of a giant Texan flag behind them, letting the audience know exactly where they were headed for the remainder of the night.

If Thornton and his Boxmasters were full of dancehall fire and sweaty dancing, Nelson’s music is that which is found on the side of the road of life, simple and a little battered but full of character and life. Nelson appeared just as he has in countless movies and album covers: grey hair falling down past his belt, bandanas and cowboy hats, shoulders sat round and hunched over his famous Martin guitar, Trigger.

“This song is the blues!” Nelson proclaimed before launching into a slowed-down version of “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Nelson’s music, like Thornton’s, speaks of the universal emotional response evoked by good music.
Something in the delicate way the guitars were thumbed and the piano keys plunked would get even the hippest of college students tapping their toes. Each song was recognized by the majority of the crowd, who sang along heartily to hits like “Whiskey for My Men, Beer for My Horses,” “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” and “I Saw the Light.”

Nelson’s music was tangibly American, able to be at home anywhere in the country. His guitar chords and his emotional voice could be heard in a smoky bar, late at night singing the barflies to a drunken sleep; in an open-air convertible as the soundtrack to young people finding adventure and glory; or in a shabby
Midwest living room on the rare occasions when the whole family can get together and share a story or two.

Those kind of moments were heard in the simple, heartfelt lyrics of the 75-year-old musician, who is often best known for his infamous trouble with the IRS, his advocacy for marijuana use, and his charity work with organizations like Farm Aid.

There were a few references to “pot” and “pills” in his songs and the usual country trope of drinking away one’s problems, but the real rebellion was found in Nelson’s attitude as he swaggered up and down the stage, nodding and tossing his leather cowboy hat out to the appreciative fans in the front row.

Nelson did not talk much during his performance, but the music needed no explanation. The crowd cheered at the beginning of each song, couples hugging closer and old friends whispering in each other’s ears and smiling. Both young and old became involved with the music, clapping loudly and cheering each time Nelson finished off another quick-fingered bluesy solo on Trigger.

Between the scorching rockabilly of Billy Bob Thornton’s Boxmasters and Willie Nelson’s bluesy growling, at the end of the night a full life of experiences had been lived by all. Hearts were broken, many hard miles were traveled, guitars were strummed, and soulful music was made. That is what country music is made of in its soul and, of course, its unmistakable twang.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Dec 1 2008. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com