Following what quite possibly was the longest intro we have ever heard, Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw, and Aaron Tippin took the stage Saturday night Aug. 18 at Black Bear Casino in Carlton, MN as part of their “Roots and Boots” tour. At some times, it was hard to tell if this was a concert or a comedy show, but either way, the three talented artists kept the near-capacity crowd entertained for two solid hours.
In addition to the fun banter between these artists and friends, hit after hit of familiar country music was played, with the other two artists contributing to the artist whose song was being sung at the time. Aaron Tippin got things started with “You’ve Got to Stand For Something,” followed by Sammy Kershaw with “Haunted Heart.” Kershaw then made eyes with several females in the crowd, bantering playfully back-and-forth with them, before noting “I ain’t ever seen an ugly girl in my life.” Diffie jumped in and the musicians kicked off his 1994 hit “Third Rock From the Sun,” and called it an honor to be on stage with two of his good friends. Diffie, an avid golfer, asked the crowd if anyone else had played the course at Black Bear, and said it is one of the hardest golf courses he ever played in his life. The show was then turned back over to Tippin, who went on to play Diffie’s favorite Aaron Tippin song, “My Blue Angel,” a hit off Tippin’s “Read Between the Lines” record in 1993. Kershaw kept the pace with “Yard Sale,” and Tippin and Diffie were a great addition to the later part of the tune. Kershaw talked a little bit about today’s country music, and said back then, there were country “stylists,” and when one of their songs came on, you knew instantly who it was based on the sound of the voice. “Today, it all sounds the same and it’s nowhere near country,” Kershaw said. Amen.
Diffie took things up tempo again and launched into his four-week-number-one hit “Pickup Man,” which led to more banter about the number of hits each of the artists have had. For the record, Tippin has had three, Diffie has had five, and Kershaw has had one (yes, we found this hard to believe, too). The three artists together have also produced 16 gold and platinum albums,42 top-ten singles, and have placed more than 100 songs on Billboard’s charts.
Kershaw said the three artists have been working on a project together, and the three performed a song called “The Route” from it, with Kershaw noting that both in the song and in real life, “there isn’t much I haven’t lived through.” The artists continued rotating through their hit songs. Next up included Tippin’s “Working Man’s Ph.D,” Kershaw’s “Third Rate Romance,” and Diffie’s excellent version of the Charlie Rich hit “When We Get Behind Closed Doors,” which showed his ability to hit the notes and then some, and was Diffie’s contribution to a “Tribute to Tradition” compilation from several years back. A fitting song as part of the “Roots and Boots” tour. Tippin performed “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With the Radio,” a favorite for the Black Bear crowd, and Kershaw performed his 1991 debut “Cadillac Style.” Things turned serious a bit with Diffie’s “Ships That Don’t Come In,” and Tippin’s “Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly,” which was released shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Kershaw performed his number-one-hit “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” followed then by Diffie’s “Prop Me Up Beside the Juke Box (If I Die).”
The final round of hits for the three artists began with Tippin’s fighting-with-his-significant-other anthem “Kiss This,” a hit from 2000, that was co-written with his wife, Thea. Kerhsaw concluded things with another of his fan favorites “Queen of My Doublewide Trailer,” and Diffie of course closed things down with “John Deere Green.” A quick one-song encore took place and before long, the Roots and Boots were heading back down the road. Black Bear Casino’s Otter Creek Event Center is a very nice, laid-back venue to watch a show like this. There was a full bar available with reasonably-priced drinks and plenty of legroom in comfortable seats.
Songs we wish we had heard: Knowing that obviously all three singers wouldn’t be able to perform all their hits, this is a fun list we compiled of songs we wish we would have heard:
* Aaron Tippin’s “I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way” and “That’s As Close As I’ll Get To Loving You”
* Sammy Kershaw’s “I Can’t Reach Her Anymore,” “Don’t Go Near the Water,” and “Anywhere but Here”
* Joe Diffie’s “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “New Way (To Light Up an Old Flame),” and “Bigger Than the Beatles”
Rare find: Shane Sutton, an artist who was signed to Polydor Records in the mid-90s and released the single “I’ve Got Your Number,” is now pickin’ as part of Diffie’s band. Sutton also contributed several tracks to the “Jetsons” movie soundtrack and has done some acting.
For more on Roots and Boots: Click HERE
Ryan Gueningsman is at ryan.gueningsman@minnesotacountry.com or can be found on Facebook.
Photo Credits: MinnesotaCountry.com,LLC