Alabama delivers hits for singing Stampede crowd
The lights went down and on the big screens flashed a montage of testimonials from country artists including Luke Bryan and Trisha Yearwood, all singing the praises of the band about to hit the Saddledome stage.
Alabama can be praised for many things, but the message that stood out throughout the video was the band’s members have not lost their love of music, despite their long career and overwhelming success.
That was abundantly clear as the band walked onto the stage — greeted by a crowd already on its feet — singing Can’t Keep a Good Man Down.
Their sincerity was felt throughout the show as they rattled off No. 1 hit after No. 1 hit.
Lead singer Randy Owen hopped, skipped, kicked and sang his way across the stage, capturing the crowd’s attention early on and never losing it.
Owen had done his homework, managing to bring up the Calgary Flames, pickup trucks and rodeo at least once each during the show. His audience loved every bit of it, no matter how kitschy.
The band’s three original members, Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook, are cousins from ( you guessed it) Alabama and have been making music together for more than 40 years. Together they released 21 No. 1 singles and have sold more than 73 million albums.
In April, the band announced fiddler/guitarist Cook would no longer tour with the group after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The night’s second song, If You’re Gonna Play in Texas ( You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band), with its fiddle chiming in near the end, left Cook’s replacement with very big shoes to fill.
Alabama’s music has endured, as evidenced by the fact I could sing along to songs that appeared on the band’s greatest hits album released before I was born.
And they’re not done yet. In 2015, the band released its latest album, featuring their first new music in 14 years.
Edmonton natives The Dungarees took the stage ahead of Alabama, bringing a bit of Alberta flair to the show.
The five-man band, made up of James Murdoch ( bass/vocals), Robb Angus ( guitar/vocals), Kiron Jhass ( guitar/ vocals), Darrek Anderson (steel guitar) and Ben Shillabeer (drums) have cemented their place in the Canadian country music scene playing festivals and opening for artists such as Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire.
The band borrows from a number of genres, including classic county, rock and pop, to build a sound that earned them several Alberta Country Music Awards and put them on the shortlist for a number of awards at the 2016 Canadian Country Music Awards.
This is a group on its way up.