Charlie Daniels: Outlaws & Renegades
On May 25th, 2019, I walked in to The Silverstein Eye Center Arena. I have attended many hockey games there over the years for the Kansas City Mavericks, a great ECHL hockey team. I have always loved the atmosphere at Silverstein, and have always wanted to see a concert there, especially since it's in my backyard.
Excited to get my chance to see a show, the Outlaws & Renegades Tour ft. Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels Band just happened to be at the venue. I had never seen either of these gentlemen who have been in the music industry for decades making hits and touring the globe. To open the show, a younger generation band called The Cadillac Three, got everyone’s heart rate up with their pulse pounding southern rock jams. They are a fantastic band and you should check them out! On the other side of the show, Travis Tritt was the headliner… and well, he was Travis Tritt. A fantastic real country music artist who has been making the rounds for the better part of three and a half decades.
Nonsense. That's what this talk is, Charlie Daniels hit the stage, and I was not staring at someone who maybe moves a little slower than he did sixty years ago when he got his start. I was staring at an individual who still has a passion for his music and his fans some sixty years later! He doesn’t miss a beat! I hope I can still hang in another 40 years like he can! He was burning that fiddle up right out of the gate. I noticed instantly how fantastic and tight knit his group of guys were- all that experience was on display! The band was on point all night. Sure, you can say they play these songs night after night, show after show, and tour after tour…. but sometimes people get sloppy and loose-NOPE not these Gentlemen! On Point!
As they ripped through classics, I won’t lie, but all I wanted to hear was “Long Haired Country Boy” and “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” but good things come to those who wait right? Charlie told an extraordinary story about growing up as a kid during World War II, and being on a beach, thinking about the Germans. Would he be safe here? He abruptly answered his own question with the statement, “Of course, because I know there is someone who stands between me and any enemies of the American people, The American Soldier!” This led into The Charlie Daniels Band saying The Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, a standing ovation is what he received as a response from the crowd of Americans representing all backgrounds and ethnicities, both young and old. Next thing I knew he was belting out the words to “Long Haired Country Boy,” and all was right with the world! I would like to take a moment here to remind everyone that Charlie can not only play that fiddle but he’s pretty damn good on that six string as well!
I was pleasantly surprised when Charlie threw in a cover of Johnny Cash’s, “Folsom Prison Blues.” The crowd roared and stood to their feet! Followed by his rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” this man seemed to have something up his sleeve and in his toolbox for everyone. There was only one thing left that everyone in attendance wanted to hear. Some were there as Charlie’s fans already when it came out in 1979 and some, well it might be the only song of his set they knew, but nonetheless EVERYBODY had to hear it. From the first jabs at the fiddle, everyone in the arena was on their feet, hands in the air, mouthing every word to “The Devil Went Down To Georgia!”
So, if you are ever in the position to see someone who is a hard-working passionate individual who surrounds himself with like-minded people, and you just happen to also like great music, get out and see the legendary, The Charlie Daniels Band, at a show near you. You won't be disappointed!
