The Musical Box

Well, conditions could have been worse. Last year at Red, White and Boom, buckets of rain pounded the audience when headliner Gary Allan took the stage. Also, the fireworks shooting down from the sky proved to be more dramatic (and considerably more dangerous) than the ones being rocketed toward it.

Last night at the Cox Street parking lot, with country-pop celeb Billy Currington performing as the sixth of Red, White and Boom’s seven acts, the rains returned. Actually, they hit harder, but for a briefer period, earlier in the evening. Still, steady showers pelted the crowd as Currington’s return set (he also played Red, White and Boom in 2005) wound through the power ballad Must Be Doin’ Something Right.

The Georgia-born singer probably should have let things go there, especially since the day-long festival was eating into Central Kentucky native John Michael Montgomery’s headlining/homecoming set –  which, in turn, had to conclude by 10 p.m. for holiday fireworks to commence. But Currington instead tacked on a cover of the Stevie Wonder funk staple Superstition – a tune that, even by modern commercial country extremes, was a reach. With time as tight as it was, the rendition became a unnecessary indulgence.

Introduced by Mayor Jim Newberry at 9:25, Montgomery was appropriately given a hero’s welcome, but had little time to get terribly chummy with the mammoth outdoor audience. He instead started a set that was eventually shaved to under 45 minutes by returning to the beginning – namely, his 1992 breakthrough hit Life’s a Dance.

A little age crept into Montgomery’s voice during his years away from local stages. During a later medley of ‘70s and ‘80s covers designed so he could jam a bit on guitar (another odd set choice with time at premium), the modest cracks in his singing became more prominent. But, on Life’s a Dance, the added years gave what remains Montgomery’s best-constructed song a more learned and worldly cast.

Otherwise, it was as if Montgomery had never left. Ballads like I Love the Way You Love Me and the new If You Ever Went Away were crisply and efficiently performed, although the latter was played as the fireworks began to mount. It was, perhaps, not the ideal soundtrack for setting the sky on fire. More to the occasion was the show-closing Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident), where the fast-talking chorus sparked some rapid fire call-and-response between artist and audience.

With that, Montgomery tipped his black cowboy hat to the crowd and made his exit at 10:10. As if on cue, the rains immediately accelerated and the fireworks ignited. The Fourth of July, it seemed, still had a final chorus to share.

(above photo of john michael montgomery by scott reed)