CMT Blog: Archive

I watched a little bit of the U.S. Open yesterday, feigning interest in golf so my husband would have a nice Father's Day. But the only thing that I really enjoyed was the ongoing commentary. Not just the play-by-play analysis but the color commentary about the golfer's personal lives, statistics and other trivia. It made me wonder what concerts would sound like if country stars had commentary going on. Like if Garth Brooks and George Jones were watching the show from a press box, shedding light on the set list, the banter and the overall vibe from the crowd. It might sound something like this:

Brooks: Well, he really knocked that one out of the arena. This song is an excellent choice to open the show. I think this was at the top of the charts for a record 15 weeks.

Jones: Yes, indeed it was. He wrote it when his high school sweetheart broke his heart and it really seems to have struck a nerve. And I'll tell you something else: Coming out on that end stage like he did will increase his odds of winning over more fans by the end of the night.

Brooks: I couldn't agree more, George. I kind of pioneered that whole connect-with-the-fans thing and look how that worked out for me.

Jones: No doubt about it. Now look what he's doing here. It sounds like he's gonna try out some new stuff.

Brooks: Ouch. That's gonna cost him. It's like a mass exodus for the bathroom.

Jones: I know, I know. But you need that feedback if you're gonna get any better at the game, right? I mean, you have to know what songs are gonna work and what songs are not.

Brooks: Well, this is not. Let's hope the second half of his set brings the fans back.

Jones: Look at him go now. He has really upped his banter-to-song ratio. He seems to have pulled them back in with a sad story about growing up in small-town America and fishing with his grandpa.

Brooks: Good move. Country fans love a gut-wrencher towards the end of the night. If his encore set is as strong as the opener was, he'll have won this round by a landslide.

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