Post by the Scribe on May 8, 2012 17:01:09 GMT -5
Stagecoach Festival Ends on High Note With Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Martina McBride
INDIO, Calif. -- What was Sheryl Crow doing on the bill at the sixth annual Stagecoach festival in California? That's not a question that has so much to do with genre -- after all, other primarily rock acts like the Eagles, John Fogerty and Kid Rock have also played the country fest -- as much as timing.
Crow wasn't added to the bill until early April, and it wasn't as if they needed her name value to juice ticket sales since Stagecoach sold out its entire supply of 55,000 passes back in early January. Why the bonus?
It became clearer Sunday evening (April 29) that it probably had something to do with the closing night's headliner, Brad Paisley. Perhaps, you could conjecture, there was a recommendation on his part that Crow do something to say howdy to the country audience again in advance of ... yes, finally, her long-threatened country album.
"I've been trying for years to make a country record," Crow told the vast crowd at the main stage during an instrumental breakdown in the middle of "Can't Cry Anymore."
"I get closer and closer in my own weird, strange way of making country music," she said. "I'm getting ready to [really] do it, though. I've got the best friend a girl could have in country music. I've got Brad Paisley, who's gonna help me do it. Does that sound good?"
A few numbers later, Crow brought "good friend" Paisley onto the stage to play a blistering lead guitar on "Real Gone," a tune she recorded for the 2006 Cars film soundtrack that was the only semi-obscure number in her otherwise hits-filled set. Paisley seemed to want to use the moment to diminish expectations about his role on the Crow album. (The P-word, "producer," was never mentioned, although that seemed to be what Crow was implying).
"Sheryl's in the studio finally making a country album. I am a small part of it," Paisley told the cheering throngs, before seeming to regret using the word "small" in any context, adding, "No, I shouldn't have gone like that."
"Large part!" countered Crow, cheerfully contradicting Paisley. And then they were off to the races, as it were.
Crow wasn't just in a collaborative mood when it came to Paisley. Early in her set, Crow bowed to the performer who preceded her on the main stage, saying, "I've got a lot of nerve following up Martina McBride. She's a badass."
Making good on her reverence, Crow ended her set by bringing out "one of my favorite singers on this whole planet" -- McBride, that is -- for a house-bringing-down duet of "You're No Good" that paid homage to Linda Ronstadt, the Cali/Arizona desert girl who was one of the biggest inspirations for both the Southern gals onstage.
www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1684149/stagecoach-festival-ends-on-high-note-with-brad-paisley-the-band-perry-martina-mcbride.jhtml
