| BY CATHY SHOUSE
reporter@comteck.com
Friday night may have been cold, but Lee Greenwood's
music made it seem warm and cozy in the F. Ritchie
Walton Performing Arts Center.The show, dubbed A Lee
Greenwood Christmas, was full of Christmas classics, not
his usual country and western program.The change was
apparent from his attire: Greenwood stepped on stage
wearing a black tuxedo with sequins sparkling on the
shoulders of the coat and a bright red vest. But, true
to form, he still wore cowboy boots and danced around
the stage during many songs of his 90-minute show.
Before the show, Marion resident Cinda Cain stood in the
lobby waiting for six friends to join her. Cain was one
of about 800 people who came to see the show. Cain
bought her ticket weeks ahead of time. "I'd seen him
before at the Greentown Performing Arts Center, and I
liked his Christmas Show over there," she said.
Lynne Bryan who works at Southway Animal Hospital, was
festive in her red winter coat. "This is part of our
Christmas from Dr. Pence. He took the whole office,"
Bryan said.
Officials from the Walton Center Arts Society
said many people called the ticket office concerned
about Greenwood's availability because of the snowy
conditions. Becky Rees was coat check person for the
evening, mainly because her husband, Dave, is a board
member of the Society. "I met with Lee Greenwood
before the concert," Becky Rees said. "He was real
hospitable and easy to talk to. He said he's still
writing music. He came from Nashville. They were at
Purdue last weekend, and they're playing in Richmond
(tonight)."
During the performance, Greenwood sang I'm Dreaming of a
White Christmas, The Christmas Song and I'll Be Home for
Christmas, among others. He sometimes broke away from
the vocals to play his saxophone, accompanied by his
five-member band and elaborate stage lighting.
Greenwood dedicated his trademark song, God Bless the
USA, to the troops and veterans. When he sang about
standing up and being proud to be an American, the
audience stood and some people wiped tears from their
eyes. But mostly, the show was nostalgic, with some
light-hearted fun thrown in.
During Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Greenwood threw
foam snowballs into the crowd, and some were thrown back
and forth to him on stage. He sat in a living room
setting on stage and read 'Twas the Night Before
Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. "I am not from
Tennessee, but I am from the South. I was raised in
southern California," he said at one point, drawing
laughter from audience members. |
