A sea of plaid shirts, cowboy boots and hats filled John R. Emens Auditorium Saturday night as country music fans came out to see the legend George Jones perform on his Grand Tour.
Despite being sick and still recovering from a recent back surgery, Jones delivered a strong final performance in front of a loud and appreciative audience. He sang his chart-topping hits, including “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes,” “White Lightening” and “Tennessee Whiskey.”
Jones also performed some of his popular duet pieces with his band member Brittany Allyn. The duets were originally made famous by Jones and the late Tammy Wynette.
Jones entertained fans with a few comments and laughs between songs. During a song break, he jokingly said, “Last year should have been my last year.”
At another moment during the night, he made a comment about his medication drying out his throat. He then joked with the audience, saying, “I could spend all night talking about the medication I take,” because he “takes pills for every part of his body.”
Senior English literature major Tamaya Greenlee occasionally listens to country music but said she wouldn’t call herself a major fan of the genre. She went to the Jones concert with a friend who had an extra ticket.
“It was a new and exciting experience,” she said. “Seeing how excited and passionate his loyal fans were and how active they were during the show helped me get into the country spirit.”
Jones carried on his tradition of performing one country gospel song during the show. Junior elementary education major Ashley Bedwell said that she enjoyed the gospel tune “Me and Jesus” the most during the show.
“It was a very good concert. I had no idea what to expect because I’m such a young country fan,” she said. “I went to the show because country is my favorite genre of music, and George Jones is part of the roots of country music. He brought country to where it is today.”
Karle Davis, a sophomore elementary education major, classifies herself as a big country music fan. She said that Jones’ concert was her first time attending a classic country concert. She said she enjoyed it very much.
“It was fun to see Jones perform his songs ‘White Lightening’ and ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.’ I enjoyed them the most,” she said.
Country artist Katie Armiger started the evening’s festivities with an acoustic performance. Her set included not only her top singles, such as “Better In A Black Dress,” but also her take of her favorite classic country hits. Audience members especially enjoyed Armiger’s performances of Pasty Cline’s “Sweet Dreams” and Elvis Presley’s “Falling In Love With You.”
Jones’ final tour continues on throughout the rest of 2013. During the night, his band members made special announcements about not only tour exclusive merchandise but also his final tour stop in Nashville, Tenn. Jones will be joined and honored by artists from all music genres at the Nashville concert, including Kid Rock, Cyndi Lauper, Alan Jackson and The Oak Ridge Boys.
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