George Jones performs at SEMO District Fair despite being sick past two days

Despite a hoarse voice from battling illness the past two days, George Jones belted out songs from his country music repertoire to an almost sold-out crowd Thursday night at the SEMO District Fair.

"I went through two days of I won't even tell you," Jones told the crowd.

He still impressed Kathy Medley, who spent her first George Jones concert in a seat near the stage.

"He's still got that voice," she said.

Met with a roar from the grandstand crowd, Jones began the concert with "Why Baby Why." Despite giving Jones a loud ovation when he climbed on stage, the crowd, which was mostly people 40 and older, sat quietly while Jones played.

Fans sat quietly through hits like "Choices," but when Jones talked to the crowd between songs, the concertgoers were anything but silent.

"Happy birthday, George," one fan yelled, acknowledging Jones' 80th birthday Monday.

"Thank you," Jones replied. "I just turned 59."

Jones told the crowd he was disappointed with modern country music artists, saying they do not play music about life's fun aspects, namely drinking and cheating.

"If I didn't sing about drinking and cheating, I'd have nothing to sing about," Jones told the crowd.

Becky Frelix and her mother, Lillian Brewer, saw Jones in Tennessee and Mississippi before his show in Cape Girardeau.

"We've been following him for the last 10 years," said Frelix, of Perryville, Mo. "My mom loves him, and I think he's pretty great."

The show was 100 tickets shy of selling out, said SEMO District Fair office manager Dale Davis. Davis wasn't sure exactly how many tickets were sold but that the grandstand seats about 3,500.

He said the show sold more tickets than any other grandstand concert at this year's fair.

The show took Larry Calhoun back to his childhood. Calhoun said he's grown to like so many George Jones songs couldn't decide what his favorite one is.

"I just love it all," Calhoun said. "I've listened to George all the way back to when I was knee high to a grasshopper."

psullivan@semissourian.com

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