COUNTRY ACTS SHINE THROUGH TECHNICAL FLAWS (REVIEW)

A sound mix from hell marred part of the evening, but the 3,061 people who attended the Sawyer Brown/Mark Chesnutt/Boy Howdy concert Thursday night had a good time anyway.

Capacity for the Show Me Center concert, which closely followed a sold-out show by Brooks & Dunn April 14, was 4,440.

Sawyer Brown meant to entertain in every way, from the grandiose entrance amid swirling colored lights to the gimmickry of moving walkways stationed at each side of the stage.

Lead singer Mark Miller, tanned and dressed by the Gap, drew screams from the female audience members every time he wiggled something. And he wiggled a lot.

The band's strengths shone through when keyboard player Greg Hubbard sat down to a white baby grand piano that magically emerged from inside the drum riser.

Miller sang "I will Leave the Light On," a nice ballad, and Hubbard played beautifully on "I'm Getting Used to You."

Mocking Miller's gyrations, Hubbard also did a lively "Pulp Fiction" dance.

At one point the band members gathered around the piano and, playing miked acoustic instruments, ran through some of their older hits.

"All These Years," another sweet ballad, was a standout.

Miller donned a nerdy cap during the band's encore, "Some Girls Don't," to kid his own pretty boy image.

Chesnutt was the big loser from the problems at the sound board. The front end of his set was dragged down and horse-collared by a droning, distorting bass.

"Bubba Shot the Jukebox" should have had the house rocking but was greeted dully because of the messy sound.

Will Lofdahl, events coordinator for the Show Me Center, said each headliner brings its own sound system to the Show Me Center. Sometimes you don't know what will happen.

Only Chesnutt's talent and magnetism held the audience. At one point he slung his guitar over his shoulder and walked off the stage to a standing ovation, only to return at the end of the song to a general feeling of relief.

When his beautiful baritone finally emerged clearly, he proved why his is considered one of the classic country voices in the land.

In "Too Cold at Home," Chesnutt expressed sentiments probably every male has felt at one time or another.

He also sang an unrecorded song with the refrain "I'll always miss dreaming my dreams with you." Can you spell hit?

Chesnutt really took hold of the crowd with a pair of Cajun-inspired numbers that turned the set into a crawdad cookout.

Opening act Boy Howdy served up a pleasing and short set, with "She'd Give Anything to Fall in Love" showcasing lead singer Cary Park's rich voice to good effect.