I had not planned to go to Keith’s concert at We Fest in Minnesota. I had attended the 3-day We Fest a couple years ago and, to my knowledge, they did not sell reserved seat tickets for just a single day of the fest. And General Admission at a festival that draws close to 50,000 held no appeal at all. So I pretty much ignored that show on Keith’s tour list until I started to plan my drive to and from the Bismarck concert. We Fest was about halfway home for me in a 10 hour journey that I wanted to break up between 2 days anyway. Well, just about the time that I started to re-consider, We Fest sent out an email about resonable single-day reserved lawn seats and camping especially for motorcyclists who wished to stop by We Fest. I didn’t have a cycle and didn’t want to camp, but I DID want that reserved lawn seat. So ‘disguised’ as a biker I order the special deal for the first day of the fest. I puzzled the box office by also ordering a 1 day car parking pass. The morning after the Bismarck concert I headed back towards Minnesota, checking into my hotel there before actually going to the We Fest grounds in Detroit Lakes. Once again I don’t know what I would do without a GPS to guide me on those country backroads!
By the time I checked in and picked up my ticket packet, parked and took the shuttle to the concert area, Gloriana’s opening set was just about over. I found my reserved lawn chair in row 28 of the lawn seats, which are behind 35-40 rows of reserved VIP seats. I was happy to have a seat of my own but being over 60 rows from the stage meant I would be watching the video screens all night because I could hardly see the performers on stage. Luckily We Fest’s screens were pretty high quality. (I was also happy because WeFest installed real toilets since my last visit there - no portapotties - yay!!).
Randy Houser was up next. He was very personable and talked quite a bit during his entertaining set. I like his big voice and his southern accent even if I can’t always relate to the topics of his songs. Then Montgomery Gentry - who seemed to please the audience and kept them up on their feet. (I only really know a few of their songs and can’t say I am really a fan).
During the break before Keith’s performance (scheduled to begin at 10:45 p.m.!!) the local radio station Froggy 99.9 played a videotaped interview they had just done with Keith. The highlight of that interview for me was when Keith said that the new album definitely would be out before the end of the year! : ) (maybe they are aiming for November again). Can’t wait! The DJs from Froggy are BIG Keith fans and in fact went on and on both before and after Keith’s set about how, of all the dozens and dozens of great performers they have seen at We Fest, Keith is their very favorite - both personally and professionally. One of the guys (can’t recall his name) actually put Keith above such great crowd pleasers they have had like Johnny Cash, Jimmy Buffet, and George Strait. After Keith’s performance he was still raving and suggested they change the festival name to Keith Fest!! : )
Keith was in red plaid tonight and what looked like new dark blue jeans and he looked gorgeous on the video screens. After Kiss a Girl (see clip below), Days Go By and Stupid Boy he greeted the audience with a great big “Good evening Minnesota! Are we feeling okay We Fest??” and then focused on each section of the huge audience. He went on to say “I can tell from the sea of big yellow We-Fest cups that we are all in a happy mood tonight. It looks like a McDonald’s convention out there - its just great.” And then tickled them by saying the following: “ Just to let you all know what’s happening tonight - there are some artists who put on concerts where the audience is polite, well- mannered, civil, calm, disciplined. This is NOT one of those concerts. We urge you to be on your baddest behavior tonight. (big cheers from the crowd). If you want to sing, dance, cheer, clap, pass out - whatever you want to do, its your night tonight. Are you with us??” (see clip below)
At the beginning of Sweet Thing Keith knelt down at the edge of the stage so that a fan could put a string of shiny blue beads around his neck. At the end of Sweet Thing I swear we got yet another new guitar solo (listen and see if you don’t think at least the first half is not new). After Better Half he again had great fun leading us in several song variations, telling us that we were “God-damned fantastic!” He went on to the the “alphabet song” like in Bismarck, with a little dance move and the funniest face.. But watching this particular audience singing along, Keith said that echoing the alphabet was “like a sobriety test” and acted out the tipsy behavior he was observing - lol.
I, of course, love Keith’s slower songs but performing them at this kind of festival comes with a certain amount of risk. The Keith fans are singing along and lovey-dovey couples may dance and cuddle, but lots of others (especially many males) disengage, sit down and there is a lot of chatter that can be annoying to those that are actually listening to the songs. I remember in the last summer tour Keith ended up dropping Tonight I Wanna Cry from the festival setlist, probably for this reason. Tough decisions when making up the setlist I’m sure.
Another fun treat was seeing Keith finally accept one of the so often proffered cowboy hats (a cute one at that) and wear it for part of Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me. I’m glad he’s not usually a hat-wearer but am tickled by an occasional view of “cowboy Keith” : )
I may not be a huge fan of Montgomery Gentry, but I was stoked when Keith said he wanted to do something special and brought out “T. Roy Gentry” (Keith used his proper name rather than the “Troy” that is often used) to do a number with him. Keith said that Eddie Montgomery couldn’t make it because he “was off to a Gospel Meeting” (??? anyone know what that is code for?). I love anything special and unique added to Keith’s shows - no matter what - but then to have them choose a favorite from Mellencamp- Jack and Diane - was great! I think it may have been a rather spontaneous performance rather than a well-rehearsed effort - Keith cracked up when he totally forgot the words to the second verse!! But it was great fun and I so enjoyed seeing Keith emulate John Mellencamp’s guitar style in that song. This song drew great audience participation.
During introductions tonight Chris M was “born and raised in Minnesota” (and last evening he was born and raised in North Dakota - lol). Baby Chris got around! ; )
I was sitting on an aisle so had looked around before the show to see if I could spot any improvised “second stage” or likely location that Keith might go to if or when he left the mainstage. I didn’t see anything set up ahead of time, but when he began the LED guitar play that precedes You Look Good in My Shirt I was up and ready to try to follow him since it would be my only opportunity to get any closer than 60 rows away this evening. Well, I don’t know where he intended to head, but the crowd (even in the VIP section) was so crazy that he barely made it 25 feet from stage. He stood up on a chair to finish the song and lead the audience in a couple choruses. He held out the mike to one gal and she belted out her line of the song. But at most of the festivals he has gone out into or close to “General Admission”, so I’m thinking this was a compromise of necessity because of those “crazy Minnesota fans” as Keith called them.
Imagine my surprise when we got a SECOND bonus song that evening during the encore. When Keith returned after a really long bout of cheers, whistles, and shouts for MORE, he broke into Bob Marley’s Is This Love? I had heard recordings of him singing that song many years ago, but this was the first time I heard it live. I loved the reggae beat and Keith occasionally adding a little Jamaican accent to the lyrics. Thanks so much for the surprise Keith!! Interestingly, there was not nearly as many singing along with this number. Do you think today’s emerging adults are less familiar with Marley music?
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