Vince Gill Dazzles Crowd At Country Music Hall of Fame

Pierce Greenberg | February 5th, 2009 Email Share

Vince Gill - Artist In Residence at Country Music Hall of Fame

Half an hour before Vince Gill went on stage for his first of three sold out artist-in-residence shows, people were milling about in the dimly lit lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame—everyone from heavy-coated slightly-grayed businessmen to a regular guy in a VFW ball cap to a shapely young brunette.

It was a true mix of individuals—and a true testament to the far-reaching impact of Gill’s artistry.

The setting for the night was simple. No set list, no plan, and “take whatever comes down the road,” according to Gill.

Backed by a piano, rhythm box and bass, Gill spent the night singing, playing, and storytelling his way through all his biggest hits and a few “gem” album cuts.

“Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” “One More Last Chance,” and “Liza Jane” were all delivered with Gill’s signature swagger, but the true crowd pleaser came with Gill’s solo version of a Notorious Cherry Bombs hit.

“It’s Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night (That Chew My Ass Out All Day Long),” which was inspired by Gill’s roughneck father, had the whole crowd laughing—and it’s no surprise that mostly men participated when Gill suggested a sing-along.

While light-hearted fare certainly plays a role in Gill’s catalog, it is obviously the ballads that have defined his career. “When I Call Your Name,” “Look At Us,” and “When Love Finds You,” were highlights of the evening, showcasing Gill’s unique tenor.

However, none of those topped “Go Rest High On That Mountain”—Gill’s delicate delivery had the whole audience wiping their eyes.

Gill is known as a master collaborator, and he expectedly invited a few friends out of the crowd to join him. Ace songwriter Danny Flowers jumped up for a rousing rendition of his signature hit “Tulsa Time.” Flowers’ soulful, raspy voice was a far departure from Gill’s tenor, but it was perfectly fitted for the tune.

Gill’s other guest, Jimmy Fortune, wasn’t such a departure. Fortune, who sang tenor for the legendary Statler Brothers, took the lead on the Statlers’ #1 hit “Elizabeth” as Gill backed him on guitar.

Fortune also enhanced the show by requesting Gill to play “Kindly Keep It Country,” a somewhat overlooked song that definitely seems to resonate even more now than it did in 1998, maybe in a different way.

Gill wrapped the show with an encore of “Never Knew Lonely,” “Pocket Full Of Gold,” and “Oklahoma Borderline.”

Overall, the show was a great dissection of Gill’s career and the sparse arrangements of the songs truly let Gill’s talents go unadulterated.

The photo used in this story is from a previous Gill performance at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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  1. [...] Vince Gill performed his second artist-in-residence concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Tuesday night and invited Guy Clark — who previewed two songs from a new album that he’s completed — to join him. Pierce Greenberg reviewed Gill’s first show earlier this month. [...]

  1. Juli
    February 5, 2009 at 9:52 am Permalink

    Nice review, Pierce. Gill is coming to town this summer, but is charging $125 a pop. I think I’ll pass that one by…

  2. Rick
    February 5, 2009 at 10:12 am Permalink

    Thanks for that fine review, Pierce. It sounds like a great concert to be sure. I wish WSM would broadcast one of these shows live (or did they and I missed it? Hmmm). I think the first time I ever heard Vince on the radio here in LA was with the song “Everybody’s Sweetheart But Mine” referring to his then wife Janice fronting the “Sweethearts of the Rodeo” along with her sister. I wondered if he was going anywhere? Looks like Vince did okay for himself.

  3. Evie
    February 5, 2009 at 1:17 pm Permalink

    Love Vince Gill.

  4. Pierce
    February 5, 2009 at 2:02 pm Permalink

    Yikes, $125? I really hope thats for a charity or something…

  5. Paula_W
    February 5, 2009 at 2:17 pm Permalink

    It seems he’s playing the Cannery Ballroom tonight with Joe Diffie and Tracy Lawrence. At $30 I’m almost tempted to drive up for that, but I dont do well with SRO venues.

    Plus, I’d have to hop in the car and leave right now and I’m not sure my boss would like that!

  6. Leeann Ward
    February 5, 2009 at 4:31 pm Permalink

    Great review, but I’m jealous. I’ve only had a chance to see him once and it was wonderful. $125? Wow! That’s definitely not what we paid for our tickets.

  7. Brady Vercher
    February 5, 2009 at 4:39 pm Permalink

    I’ve wanted to catch Vince Gill for awhile now, but he never comes this way. I’ve seen prices reach $1,000 or more for tickets where Josh Turner and Trisha Yearwood were the entertainment, but it was for a black tie gala deal.

  8. Cardsgal
    February 5, 2009 at 4:41 pm Permalink

    The CMHOFM’s residency shows are the way to go to see Vince. Tickets were only $40, and benefit the not-for-profit museum, to boot. The theater is intimate and seats only 213 folks. Unfortunately, the last two shows are already sold out.

  9. Pierce
    February 5, 2009 at 4:57 pm Permalink

    I’m not gonna lie, I was expecting Gill to bring some bigger name guests. I mean, after all, half of Gill’s Grammy awards are collaborations with other artists and Jerry Douglas busted out Garth Brooks at his show last year.

    That being said, while I wasn’t initially thrilled with the choice of guests, they both blew me away. Fortune and Flowers were excellent.

    I expect that Gill probably has a few more tricks up his sleeves for the remaining two shows.

  10. Leeann Ward
    February 5, 2009 at 5:22 pm Permalink

    I respect that he doesn’t just hang out with the big names, though I know what you mean. I probably would have been a little disappointed too. When he was in Michigan with Jon Randall (when I was in grad school), my ticket was only $22.50. The actual tickets were $45 though, but students got theirs for half off. The show started at 8:00 and ended around midnight. It seemed that he would have continued but the older people (which made up most of the audience) started filing out at about 11:30

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