THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 24, 1996 TAG: 9608260364
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music review
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 58 lines
Cindy Peppe of Virginia Beach named her little boy, now 6, Hank.
Peppe, quite a Hank Williams Jr. enthusiast, was one of the quieter members of the audience at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater Friday: She only shouted and danced in the aisles for about an hour.
Williams' show, as usual, was louder than thunder.
Amphitheater neighbors who sometimes complain about loud concerts must have been really riled Friday. He was good and loud, and you can take that phrase literally and figuratively.
He started his sets, as he usually does, by singing ``My Name is Bocephus.''
That is the nickname given to him by his famed father, Hank Sr. Bocephus was a country comedian admired by the country legend.
Hank Jr.'s favorite subjects in song are Hank Jr., Early Rock Stars, Women, Hank Jr., Whiskey, The South and Hank Jr. Any one of those topics gets his fans' blood circulating double-time.
The man is seldom still, usually up-tempo; the slow pieces serve only to give his fans a chance to catch their breath.
He said he preferred taking his fans to a roadhouse, bringing along some dancing girls and some whiskey.
Another favorite Bocephus topic is football. He has had great success and gained new fans with his Monday Night Football performances.
Friday night he bit the hand that feeds him, noting, ``Football was really football before they screwed it up.''
He mentioned the fact that several players have become his friends. Segue to ``All my Rowdy Friends are Comin' Over Tonight.''
That Williams hit could well describe the audience. Here are some more descriptions: raucous, riotous, raw, rugged.
They come in all ages, but Williams properly categorizes them in one song: ``We are Young Country.''
One couple at the concert sipped their beer slowly, clapped their hands every few minutes. At a Hank Williams Jr. concert, that's like being dead.
Give Williams credit for a better light show than most outdoor concerts. Give his Bama band credit for keeping up with him - jamming, jamming.
The night began with some rip-roarin' Southern boogie by the Marshall Tucker Band and .38 Special.
The weather was as hot as the music.
It was a brow-wiping night, one of the reasons for those long lines at the beer stands.
It was wild and fun. But holy earplugs, Batman! It was lo-oud. ILLUSTRATION: MIKE HEFFNER photos/The Virginian-Pilot
Hank Williams Jr., above, roared through a set of crowd-pleasing
country hits Friday night at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. He was
rarely still, the few slow songs serving mostly as a chance to let
fans catch their breath. At left, .38 Special guitarist Don Barnes
solos during the band's opening act.
KEYWORDS: CONCERT REVIEW
by CNB