ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605200028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: CONCERT REVIEW
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
Roanoke, this is going to sound like another lecture, but you've got a problem.
It's an affliction called lack-of-ants-in-your-pants, or maybe it's just downright rudeness, and nowhere has it been more evident than at the Vince Gill concert Thursday night at the Roanoke Civic Center coliseum.
Gill gave the show of his life, better than the last time he played here in December 1994, and one of the best concerts to roll through town in recent memory.
It was rewardingly long - he performed 31 songs over nearly 2 1/2 hours. It was chock full of legitimate showstoppers - as many as a dozen in all. And Gill was superb throughout. His lead guitar playing was great and his singing was even better.
He's so good, in fact, it's easy to take him for granted.
Maybe that's what happened.
For all of his effort at Thursday's show, how was Gill rewarded?
Sadly, for the most part, the crowd of 7,578 just sat there like bumps on a log. (Apologies here to the people in wheelchairs in attendance, and the few die-hards brave enough to stand on their feet, even dance, when the rest of the audience was checking itself for vital signs.)
Gill did absolutely everything in his power to get the people up and out of their seats, short of asking them point blank.
Have you heard the expression, brain-dead? Well, this was a case of boogie-dead, or shake-your-groove-thing-dead. It was puzzling because clearly the crowd enjoyed itself. Clearly, the crowd was engaged, and treated Gill to several deafening ovations .
It was just that when it came to anything more, the audience was a little subdued.
Maybe the problem is that this is a town more accustomed to sitting on the sofa with a bag of chips, the remote control and a can of beer than it is to going hog-wild.
Whatever, somebody needs to loosen up.
Even during Gill's marathon encore, and such danceable, uptempo songs as ``One More Last Chance'' and ``Liza Jane,'' the majority of the people in the audience remained curiously seated. Some folks probably spent more time on their feet waiting in line for the bathroom than they did during the concert.
It was humiliating, not for Gill, but for Roanoke. Where's your civic pride?
If nothing more, the crowd should have risen to its feet out of respect and politeness and appreciation. Gill earned and deserved this at the very least.
A lesser performer might have walked away in frustration earlier in the evening, but, to his credit, Gill seemed unfazed.
Backed by a rock-solid, nine-piece band, he came to play regardless, and he obviously enjoyed himself thoroughly.
Some of the show's highlights included, ``Pocket Full of Gold,'' ``Look At Us,'' ``Oklahoma Borderline,'' ``Whenever You Come Around,'' ``Trying To Get Over You'' and ``What The Cowgirls Do.''
What was particularly impressive was that some of these were showstoppers because of Gill's fabulous voice and harmonizing ability, while others brought down the house because of his electrifying guitar playing.
For her part, the underrated Patty Loveless showed why she is one of Gill's favorite and most skillful singing partners.
Like the multitalented Gill, Loveless is equally comfortable with uptempo material and knock-out ballads, as she demonstrated in her 11-song, 45-minute show opener.
She especially shined on two stirring weepers, ``You Don't Even Know Who I Am'' and ``A Thousand Times a Day,'' that were almost as powerful as some of Gill's best. That should tell you something.
Loveless also joined Gill during his encore for a pair of memorable, perfectly harmonized duets, ``Go Rest High On That Mountain'' and ``When I Call Your Name,'' which actually brought tears to her eyes.
Yet it was only on Gill's final song, a hard-driving cover of ``The House is a Rockin','' that the audience at last redeemed itself by standing and showing signs of life. (Even then, however, there were people who still remained, unbelievably, in their seats. Heaven help them.)
It should be noted that this odd affliction is not unique to Gill's audiences. It seems, instead, to be a peculiar characteristic of Roanoke audiences that has been observed more and more in the past few years.
Maybe this lecture was long past due.
LENGTH: Medium: 86 linesby CNB