REVIEW
What: Dwight Yoakam with Washboard Union and Meghan Patrick
Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
When: Thursday
If country music has an unsung hero, it’s Dwight Yoakam.
The honky-tonk veteran turned 60 in October, but he sang with the power of a young buck on Thursday night, his long-awaited debut in the market. It would be one thing if Yoakam was known only for his peerless singing, but country diehards hold his songwriting in extremely high regard, as well. He’s the ultimate double threat.
Yoakam’s concert drew 2,527 fans to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, far too few for a musician of this magnitude. That was partly due to schedule changes: Yoakam’s Oct. 29 show was postponed the night before.
He was in fine shape, in any event. With a booming voice that went up and out in all directions, he played four songs in tribute to Merle Haggard, including Silver Wings, Swinging Doors (which erupted into a honky-tonk hootenanny) and two of Haggard’s certifiable classics, Mama Tried and Okie From Muskogee.
The cowboy hat-wearing Yoakam, a Kentucky product now based in Los Angeles, made his mark during the early 1980s with a peer group that included the Blasters, Los Lobos, Lone Justice and X, among others. But where those groups either disbanded or left a diminishing impact, Yoakam branched out.
His 90-minute set showcased that famous flexibility, with some razzle-dazzle (were those rhinestones on the fringe of Yoakam’s jean jacket?) added for effect. He didn’t say much or move around relentlessly, but he impressed.
The night began with a spunky set from Meghan Patrick, whose debut last year (Grace and Grit) put two singles into the Top 20 and drew raves for its mix of rock, pop and country.
The 29-year-old Ontarian faced an uphill battle, thanks to the early 7:30 p.m. start time and some uneven sound, but she made some inroads with help from country legend Dolly Parton’s Jolene. Patrick’s take on the song showcased her sweet side, but also her rough-and-tumble one (she made reference to using a shotgun on the titular, husband-stealing character, a nice touch). She also delivered a solid version of Bow Chicka Wow Wow, a hit she co-wrote with Nickleback’s Chad Kroeger.
(Latecomers to the Thursday performance will have the opportunity to see Patrick perform in six weeks. She will be the opening act on Tom Cochrane’s upcoming tour of Canada, which stops Feb. 28 in Victoria at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. She’ll be one to watch.)
Washboard Union — the night’s second act — will return to Vancouver Island this summer for the Sunfest Country Music Festival; one can only assume it will be an improvement on their Thursday appearance, which was marred by severe sound problems. The band had plenty of energy and spirit, but the sound problems were damaging.
That’s not a knock on the band itself, of course. The Vancouver combo is one of the best roots acts in the country, with a unique take on the middle ground where classic country meets rock ’n’ roll and folk.
Patrick returned to sing with Washboard Union on a spirited Seven Bridges Road, the harmony showcase made famous by the Eagles. And who doesn’t love a banjo-fied take on Tom Petty’s American Girl?
Unfortunately, the sound problems were too prominent. Catch them upon their Sunfest return. It’s all but guaranteed they will impress.