Review from 1985 show at PCCC: Merle Haggard's short set well worth the wait

Editor's note: SJ-R columnist Dave Bakke reviewed country music legend Merle Haggard's performance at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield more than 30 years ago. With Haggard dying on Wednesday, his 79th birthday, we republish Bakke's review that appeared in The State Journal-Register on Oct. 23, 1985.  

We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse. And Merle Haggard's still the biggest thrill of all. Kind of.

Merle's 65-minute set at the Prairie Capital Convention Center Tuesday night was awfully short. But it still saved an otherwise lackluster night of country music at the PCCC.

Merle didn't come on until almost 10 p.m., which might explain why his set was so short. First, a Peoria-area group, Sidewinder, played six or seven songs. Then Lacy J. Dalton played for 45 minutes. Then California songwriter Freddie Powers played a few of his songs.

And between each act there was a break to set up equipment. It began to look like Merle's new song, "Amber Waves of Grain," would be a golden oldie by the time he got around to singing it.

But the 2,100 people at the concert had plenty of enthusiasm left for him. That's because they didn't need to spend much of it on the first three acts.

The crowd was disappointingly small, maybe due to the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series game being televised. But hard-core country doesn't seem to draw well in Springfield at any time of year.

Witness Ricky Skaggs, new Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, who drew 1,800 people in Springfield a few months ago.

Merle and his 10-member band, The Strangers, kicked off the show with "Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink." Most of his show was composed of newer songs, like that one, from the late '70s on.

After 25 years of pickin' and singin', Haggard's voice never sounded better. The rich timbre of his voice on "Folsom Prison Blues," "Kern River" and "Natural High" reminded people why the man is a legend.

Most of his recent hits have been slower tempo songs that allow him to croon. He's good at it. That saxophone and trombone in the band must be what comes from living in California. Guess that's where that long, lean blonde on Haggard's arm (his new bride) as he came onstage came from, too. Nice work if you can get it.

The brass in the band can be forgiven. They weren't featured that much and there was enough fiddle and guitar to make up for it. Merle played fiddle on "Take Me Back To Tulsa." Then he teamed with his regular fiddle player for an "Orange Blossom Special" that brought the crowd to its feet.

The Strangers are good musicians. It helps to have 11 people in the band when trying to fill the cavernous PCCC with music.

When the roll is called up yonder, and Merle is standing before his maker, he would be well advised to strap on his guitar and play "Mama's Prayers." There's no such thing as a free ticket to heaven, but that song has to at least be a down payment.

"From the death house at San Quentin," it goes, "I walked away a better man. Somehow my mama's prayers worked again."

Merle's been in the Big House. He's also been on "The Waltons." He doesn't need either of them anymore. Just play, Merle. And loan your sound engineer to Lacy J. Dalton.

Dalton is a fine country singer, but the sound mix for her show hurt her. Dalton's dregs-of-the-whiskey-glass voice came out sounding more like Minnie Mouse with a cold. She sounded better on the car radio.

It takes more than bad sound to mess up her best song, "16th Avenue." She almost did it by forgetting the words. But that song is so good even that didn't spoil it.

Dalton and her band, The Dalton Gang, sounded better on the rock-influenced tunes like "If That Ain't Love." "Wild Turkey" is kind of a fun song, anyway, so you don't really notice how it sounds.

A bluegrass-type song, "Silver Eagle" also had potential. But it would have been better if the crowd could have heard the lead guitar.

Neither Haggard nor Dalton were much on crowd rapport.

"Play one, take a breath and play another one" was the rule Tuesday night. Where was the fire?

The evening was opened 15 minutes before the scheduled 8 o'clock start by Sidewinder, a Las Vegas lounge-type act. Sidewinder has a passing acquaintance with country music, but only on songs featuring guitarist Kevin Anderson. Anderson is good. But any group that features a lead singer in a shiny tie is bordering on pop music, not country.