The seats of Emens Auditorium may not have been filled Friday night, but the air inside was.
The sounds of country music with heavy rock 'n' roll overtones blasted from the sound system as Trick Pony opened with their hit single, "Pour Me."
The crowd rose to its feet as lead singer Heidi Newfield belted out the group's popular drinking song. Bassist Ira Dean made the crowd laugh as he played his silver stand-up bass that featured flashing headlights and Trick Pony license plate while guitarist Keith Burns had many women swooning over his smoky good looks.
Newfield kept the crowd moving throughout the show with her high-energy dancing and talented harmonica performance. Burns and Dean took to the audience as they danced up the aisle while jamming on their guitars. After reaching the far aisle of the venue, both performers stood up on auditorium seats to finish the number among the crowd. Toward the end of the group's performance, the band joked about Dean's unmistakable resemblance to Kid Rock. As the band followed his lead, the bassist began to sing "My name is Kid Rock." The band members then laughed before telling the audience Dean was only kidding about the similarity. After a short break, country singer Phil Vassar took the stage to perform songs he had written both for himself and for others. "I've lived just about everything I've written about," Vassar said. "You just write about what inspires you." Vassar first performed two songs from his self-titled album, "That's When I Love You" and "Carlene." After several more songs the band took a break while Vassar sat at the piano to play a few songs by himself. He joked with the audience as he played a few bars from various songs before settling on Billy Joel's "Piano Man." As the audience sang along with the lyrics, Dean from Trick Pony once again showed the crowd his comedic side when he joined Vassar onstage to set three cups on his piano. After his band returned, Vassar sang several more songs he had written, including JoDee Messina's "I'm Alright," and "Bye Bye." During much of his performance, Vassar continuously danced across the stage. At various times throughout his show, the singer jumped atop his piano and continued his act to the delight of fans in the audience. Vassar's background of playing smaller clubs shone through in his ability to make a larger venue, like Emens Auditorium, feel like a small club. After the show both Trick Pony and Vassar remained in the lobby of the auditorium to sign autographs. As they chatted with their admirers, indulging some with pictures, these country sensations proved they still remember what a performance is truly about - the fans.
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