What a show! Webb and the Beatnecks really warmed up a cold night in Old Town Knoxville. Susan and I met up with Christina and her mom Cindy and had a great time. Jimmy joined us for dinner prior to the show and it was a treat getting to talk to him. Webb was in top form vocally and was evidently in a good mood and ready to rock. Bob Williams continues to amaze me every time I get to see and hear him play. The man is unstoppable. Jimmy is still the ulitmate drummer to me. The man is a machine when it comes to timing. Tom Comet RULED with his new birthday present, a gold sparkled Norma bass. I never get tired of listening to the man's bass playing. AWESOME!!

If you didn't come to this show, you really cheated yourself....cough cough ERIC cough cough FRANK cough cough RANDY!!

The setlist is (mostly) as follows:

Big Time
Human Cannonball
Rough Rider
Lookin' For A Fool
Pretty Little Lights Of Town
Lonely For A Reason
Down On The Farm
Come Around
Pretty Is As Pretty Does
Hoodoo Witch
Worried Life Blues
One Taste Of The Bait
Changing Colors
Ju Ju Man

BREAK

Just Had To Laugh
Louisiana Hannah
Who Will The Next Fool Be
Slow Death
Mississippi Honky Tonk
The Only One
Loud Music
Hittin' Where It Hurts
Jimmy Reed (Bob Williams) Is The King Of Rock 'n' Roll
Little Boy Sad
Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone? (My new fave)
Baby Please Don't Go
Tough It Out

Sorry I missed it. I have a Doctors excuse if that helps.

I have no excuse....

My excuse is pretty good ... Birthday Party for my Son, Mother and Sister ... oh and Freezing RAIN that was an Icy mess last night... glad I didn't try to drive 1-1/2 - 2 hour drive home last night from Knoxville, would have turned into a 3- 4 hour drive based on what I saw last night after midnight here around home.

Hope everybody had a safe drive last evening.

I am really dissappointed to have missed what sounded like a great show.... wished it would have been at Down Home... it's normal for Webb to have bad weather when he comes to JC, TN in the Winter

E

I have an excuse too, I was making backups! (no joke!)

Oh, wow! A two set night. "Anybody Goin' to San Antone" !!!

I love that song. Pardon my lack of knowledge, but who did that originally? I know it was one of the legends. I was just too little to really remember. Was it Charlie Pride?

Speaking of legends, I recently made "Get Rhythm" by Johnny Cash my new ringtone. That song always brings a smile to my face. Have you ever thought of doing that one, Webb? I don't know much about the mechanics of music and all, but it sure seems like something you and the Beatnecks could do something with.

"(Is Anybody Goin' to) San Antone" was written by Dave Kirby and Glenn Martin after Kirby heard a fellow musician pose that question at a recording studio in Nashville. Charlie Pride recorded the song, although he supposedly didn't like it very much, and it was a big hit for him in 1970. Many others have covered it, including Porter Wagoner, and it was also a Doug Sahm favorite.
Webb would do a killer version of "Get Rhythm"! Ry Cooder also did an excellent cover of it.

There have been quite a few covers of "Get Rhythm", but NRBQ's is probably pretty close to what a Webb version might sound like- it rocks!

It was great to be back in the saddle and to see y'all in Knoxville; we're looking forward to seeing the rest of you in Champaign and Chicago this weekend!

Speaking of Chicago Tom, unfortunately Deb and I won't be able to make it. We were on the fence for a while, but turns out we're getting together for my sister's birthday. We'll be on a mission to make the next Fitzgeralds' gig though!

The Knoxville audience was exceptionally kind and attentive. Great to se a buncha ya'll there. NRBQ's version of "Get Rhythm" kinda put evedrybody in the shade. Johnny Cash's original is of course, holy ground. Marty Stuart produced a version on Little Richard but, the Q did the definitive cover of it to the point that there's really no point in even trying to lay even partial claim to the song! We WILL be in Champaign on Friday (early show!) and at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn outside of Chicago on Saturday. We'll miss Omatic but, persevere nonetheless! WW

I love NRBQ's "Get Rhythm". Lots.

That is all.

A connection between "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone?" and the Man in Black is Cowboy Jack Clement, who produced Charley Pride AND Johnny Cash as well as many others. Cowboy wrote "Ballad of a Teenage Queen"(and "I Guess Things Happen That Way," I think) for J.C. and put the horns on "Ring of Fire," another one of his production credits. WW

Webb, weather looking good for the drive up north to Champain and then up to Berwyn on Saturday...just your basic January cold weather, no snow forcasted for Chicago this week. Even if it did snow, like it did a few years ago when you played at Fitzgeralds, won't stop us.

Mike, we'll see you next time....

Be safe....until Saturday...

Later

I have to say Knoxville was a fab show...the guys sounded great and we had excellent company with Susan and Tony. The crowd was good and the boyz just flat out rocked the house! By some stroke of luck, we wound up at the same hotel and got to have a bite with Webb and company the next morning before heading out. Thankfully we weren't travelling on Sat night -- lots of ice by the look of the median strip on the way home Sunday. I've been laid up in bed (sick) since my return Sunday -- so I didn't check in til today. I will have pics posted sometime this week.

It was a long drive, but well worth a good ol' dose of RNR from Webb and the Beatnecks. Love you guys!

~Christina

Christina: Sorry yer sick! Thanks fer comin'! Tony: Great seeing you and Susan. Two things: We also played "Let It Rock" by Chuck Berry in the second set and I keep callin' it "Mississippi Honky Tonkin'," but it's really called "Honky Tonkin' (In Mississippi)". Thanks. WW

Planned to go to this one, but scared to death to leave town fearing the pipes would break if we left Nashville. Been known to happen. Nothing worse than coming home to a flood.

Brenda

Thanks Webb. I knew I missed one or two songs that I didn't catch the name of. Great show. You guys sounded really tight.

I second that Tony! -- The band was tight and seemed to be having a great time jamming together onstage. Webb & Tom both mentioned mistakes made since it'd been a little while since they'd played but honestly I didn't notice-- they just looked like they were having fun and that's something I'll never get tired of watching.

Pix were sent to Hunter today guys...

Rock Chicago for me!!

~Christina

Christina's photos are now available:

http://www.webbwilder.com/?goto=fan_photos&gig=96

Thanks, Christina!

Hunter

I've also posted a video from Barley's on youtube for Louisiana Hannah - check it out :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGYOjEuuJII