Fair crowd enthusiastic despite Tracy Byrd's lack of energy

Tracy Byrd's radio-friendly honky-tonk music would seem perfect to get a crowd pumped up at a fair.

And while the 1,900 people in the crowd did go wild for Byrd's hits like "Watermelon Crawl," "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous" and "The Truth About Men," the performer was less than animated himself Friday night at the SEMO District Fair.

Byrd's seeming lack of enthusiasm made for a show with little energy, but that was packed with feel-good sing-alongs that brought the crowd into the action.

The country performer came on stage to bright lights and thunderous applause after the crowd had been anticipating his appearance for some 15 minutes. Byrd came out with a bright smile to a feel-good guitar riff, strutting around stage and buddying up with other band members.

When the band burst into "Watermelon Crawl," Byrd put down his acoustic guitar and led the audience in a healthy round of clapping. It seemed almost the entire crowd knew this ode to drunkenness, safe driving practices and Southern hospitality. They graciously sang along to the chorus, with much praise from Byrd.

But that was about the extent of the energy Byrd showed. He did engage in some self-effacing humor with the crowd. When a woman told him he was "awful cute," the country star replied "Well, maybe from that far away I look like that."

Most of Byrd's songs were good-time romps with catchy choruses and upbeat tempos, but he and his band did show some range with numbers like the sometimes-dark, salsa-infused "Just Let Me Be in Love."

The hand-clapping continued with songs like "Drinkin' Bone," but Byrd failed to capitalize on that enthusiasm.

Byrd's performance did seem to sufficiently entertain his audience, but with a little more energy to go along with the crowd's gusto Friday night it could have been one for the books.

The Renegades of Southern Rock perform at the SEMO Distrcit Fair at 8 p.m. today.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182