Saturday was the perfect night for any country music fan to break out their cowboy hat and boots. Tennessee band Lonestar hit the Riverside Theater for a night of rollicking fun.
The concert got off to a rough start; it was set to begin at 8 p.m., but started more than a half hour late. The time delay caused the audience — which was rather small, leaving many seats empty — begin sporadic hand clapping in hopes to goad the band on stage.
The show lacked an opening band; it was an all-Lonestar show. However, it's possible there was no room for another band on tour. Lonestar could have easily been its own orchestra with eight band members, a variety of guitars, fiddles, a keyboard and even a baby grand piano.
Lonestar focused primarily on songs from its newest album, Coming Home, but the songs from past CDs got the biggest response from the audience. Some of the most recognizable songs were the 1999 hit "Amazed," the heart-wrenching "I'm Already There" and the upbeat tune "What About Now."
The band also had a nice tribute to fellow country band Alabama. A medley of songs like "I'm in a Hurry" and "Tennessee River" were fun additions to the Lonestar set.
By far the music made up for the band's tardiness. Lead singer, Richie McDonald, was pitch-perfect throughout the set, almost an exact replica of the CD versions of Lonestar's songs.
For a majority of the show, the audience did not respond much to the songs, staying primarily seated. McDonald and keyboardist/vocalist Dean Sams tried their best to get the crowd riled up, but the attempts were in vain until the end of the show. A few female fans ran up to the stage and other fans followed to create a dance party at the foot of the stage.
However, audience members had an incentive to stay seated throughout the show. Riverside security seemed to disapprove of standing and having fun. When asked why, one security guard said it was because other people needed to the see the show. There is a disconnect when it seems a concert calls for the audience to stand up and dance and the theater is not allowing this to occur. It would be a different story if this was a classical concert. The Riverside may need to reevaluate what behaviors it prohibits.
By far the standout moments of the night involved direct interaction between the band and particular audience members, including children. McDonald actually got on his stomach on the stage to get on the same levels as the littlest fans who approached the stage for autographs. The band also signed as many autographs as possible, including after the show while heading to the tour buses.
The band only stayed on stage for an hour and a half including an encore. However, this was more than enough time to get the point that the band members may be getting older, but they can still rock.