THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609210318
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Review
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 46 lines
Clay Walker may not receive the great amount of publicity aimed at many country stars, but somewhere along the line he has garnered one of the most enthusiastic sets of fans.
They were en masse Friday at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, out-louding the music, probably to the delight of the concert sponsor: BC Headache Powders.
Walker did not move around as much as he used to. Otherwise, he did not take it easy. His voice is big, crisp and clear.
The singer's voice and his appearance seem to have a particularly fascinating appeal to his female fans. They really love him. You'd think he was cute.
Walker came onstage after a few hours of playing golf with Tommy Masters, who recently won the Virginia Open, Walker said.
He hit the ball in the morning and was on the ball that evening, singing his many hits and tossing in some standards for good measure.
And there were the blues: a down and not-too-dirty version of ``Steam Rollin' Baby,'' hitting some illegitimate notes.
At one point, the band got up and stood around Walker for a jam session that included ``Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms'' and the Gatlin Brothers' ``All the Gold in California.''
Unlike many country singers, Walker keeps the session country.
He veered slightly with a song that always grabs the folks: ``Great Balls of Fire.''
John Robins had a great time, winning a Clay Walker lookalike competition, meeting the singer backstage and winding up with upfront seats.
``I've seen Clay before, but the concert tonight was awesome,'' the 20-year-old Deltaville, Va., resident said.
The night could be described that way - cool and comfortable.
Walker started the night with ``Boogie 'til the Cows Come Home.''
The last moo was heard about 70 minutes later.
Walker moved the audience with some lovely ballads, but the accent was on up-tempo. He starts the songs. His fans rise and sing along - they know every word.
The concert began with an appearance by Great Plains. Some members of the audience felt the group lived up to the first part of their name. Others felt they lived up to the second part. by CNB