THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 19, 1996 TAG: 9608190070
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Concert Review
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 66 lines
It was a Texas triple-decker.
Rhett Akins opened, Little Texas closed and Neal McCoy was sandwiched between in a (too-long) six-hour concert Sunday at Norfolk Naval Air Station.
Ironically, while McCoy and Little Texas were the major stars of the event, Akins has the No. 1 hit on the country charts right now.
Only about 4,000 people attended - making one wonder if a loaded area concert calendar is starting to overload audiences.
Little Texas, as is its custom, tried out a few new songs. The band does this for audience reaction. If the fans go wild, the songs often become part of the group's next album.
Here, band tried a ballad, got a mild reaction, then tore into one of its standards, ``Life Goes On'' - which was more to the fans' liking.
The group began with its familiar anthem, ``God Bless Texas.''
The six performers - who were rained out last year - got the audience going with a song about ``a rock'n'roll baby who's country-crazy.''
That pretty well describes the state of country, which seems to include a little bit of everything - except, perhaps, ``Evita.''
McCoy is the perfect example. You get country, yes, along with a bit of metal, some rock, Latin and some rap. His ``Hillbilly Rap'' is always a crowd pleaser. It gives him the opportunity, of all things, to mix the ``Banana Boat Song'' with the theme from the Beverly Hillbillies.
The tall, thin, talented Texan - wild as usual - offered a rather abbreviated set.
Still he was able to capture the audience with his personality, his craziness and some of his hell-bent-for-leather jokes and conversation.
He told his fans that, at one time, two of his band members were Chippendale dancers, introducing them as ``Chip'' and ``Dale.''
McCoy has got to be the happiest character in show business. He is certainly one of the best entertainers - so why wasn't he a Country Music Association nominee for Entertainer of the Year? Songs such as ``You Gotta Love That'' and his current hit, ``Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,'' have kept him steadily on the charts.
The hello came from Akins, who opened the show doing some of his hits and some Southern boogie-woogie.
It was a good old country time, although a little long. People were leaving before the end of the Little Texas set. MEMO: CONCERT REVIEW
Rhett Akins, Neal McCoy and Little Texas
Sunday at Norfolk
Naval Air Station ILLUSTRATION: Photo by RICHARD L. DUNSTON, The Virginian-Pilot
Neal McCoy's mixture of metal, rock, Latin, rap - and country - was
a crowd-pleaser at Sunday's concert at Norfolk Naval Air Station.
Songs such as ``You Gotta Love That'' have kept him on the charts. by CNB