Alan Jackson is a man who’s supremely comfortable in his own skin.
All the laid-back country singer from Georgia had to do on Friday night to enthrall 4,800 Red Deer-area fans was to stand centre stage at the Centrium and sing.
His heartfelt songs about love, family, country living and God spun their own magic on the two-stepping crowd.
Jackson performed his hits from the last 20 years, unravelling in the process the soundtrack of many people’s lives — from his first success, Here in the Real World, to his popular standards Gone Country, Good Time, and Chattahoochee, to his latest hits, Livin’ on Love, and I Don’t Even Know Your Name.
Every so often, Jackson paused to utter something affable, like “Hello, Red Deer! How are you holding up?” to wild cheers of fan affirmation.
Otherwise he let his lyrics do the talking. And it was a wise move, since Jackson really has a way with a line.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could remain unmoved when he sang, “I’m not sure I can tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran/ But I know Jesus and I talk to God And . . . Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us/ And the greatest is love” from his Sept. 11 memorial, Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).
Family featured heavily in the music videos flashed up on three screens behind him — particularly with appearances from Jackson’s real-life wife Denise, with whom he reconciled in 2007 after she forgave his infidelities.
In light of this, there was a ring of truth when Jackson sang, “I have known a woman’s love/ And I have tasted/ And I have wasted/ A woman’s love . . .”
And there’s similar truth in all of his songs, which is why they resonate so strongly with people who have also struggled with life and questioned how the world works.
Standing there in front of his accomplished seven-man band in his cowboy hat and faded blue jeans, Jackson seemed like one of us, with all his frailties exposed. He sang about his search for truth, his memories of good times and family, his love of his surroundings.
A lot of people sing hurtin’ country songs — but Jackson comes across as if he’s lived them.
Special guest opener George Canyon also pulled on the right heart-strings, with tunes about his wife’s mother and soldiers in Afghanistan. He even invoked the spirit of Johnny Cash when he performed his pitch-perfect version of Ring of Fire.
There’s a bit of a throw-back quality to this square-jawed singer from High River, who seems as straight-arrow as Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties. But Canyon, who appeared with his band in a Red Deer Rebels jersey, has a resonant baritone and a good sense of fun, revealed in such songs as Drinkin’ Thinkin’ and Betty’s Buns, which features a beautiful violin melody.
His song Just Like You showed that Canyon can also spin a poignant tune that contrasts a boy’s yearning to grow up with a father’s desire to stop time.
A lot of country music fans probably wished they could have stopped time for a bit at the Centrium on Friday, but they certainly got their money’s worth, anyway.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com