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Concert Review: Clay Walker at Toadlick Festival in Dothan

Not even the threat of tornados could keep the crowd away for day two of the Toadlick Music Festival in Dothan, Alabama. The day awoke to heavy downpour with the weather forecast calling for rain pretty much all day. While the rain did have its way with the town in the early part of the day, the clouds seem to recede as nightfall set in.

The Toadlick Music Festival is being held at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds. Dothan is an inviting city for this event. Prior to this weekend, I’d only known it as a pass through on the way to sunny Florida. It’s much larger than I had assumed and has just about everything you’d want. The festival grounds on the south side of Dothan are setup nicely for the event with actual bathrooms rather than being forced into port-a-potties like most festivals. There are a variety of food vendors, places for the kids to cut loose as well as a 20,000 square foot ‘tavern’ that features local bands for your listening pleasure while you get your brew on. The festival is setup with two stages — the main Pepsi stage and Interstate Batteries serving as the side stage. The event oscillates acts between the two stages as the road crew takes turns setting up one band as another one enthralls the crowd.

Just as night descended on Toadlick Friday, Clay Walker took the main stage with a big smile, happy to see this Dothan crowd. The product of Beaumont, Texas has made a life in country music since he broke onto the scene twenty years ago with his self-titled debut. Since then, Clay Walker has had a Hall of Fame run, selling 11 million records and charting 11 number one hits on the country charts.

He started the evening with an oldie but a goodie in “If I Could Make a Living.” He had the support of his eight-man band that was shuffling about the stage seemingly waiting on the next opportunity to come together and rock out. “When She’s Good She’s Good” was one of these instances where the band joined together at the front of the stage, wielding guitars as if posing for a photo op. Walker even ended the song with a forceful ‘Roll Tide’ for the Bama faithful who view fall weekend for God and Crimson Tide football.

Walker channeled his inner-Jimmy Buffet at several points during the evening to bring a Caribbean flair to lower-Alabama. “Live, Laugh, Love” kicked off with streamers bursting from the stage to blanket the crowd. Just when they’d settled to the ground another wave took off. The song sparked an 80-year-old man near me to rise up and break into a spontaneous jig. The playful “Then What?” brought huge beach balls onto the stage. Walker said he wanted to see them kicked around through the air until they reached the last audience member on the back of the hill. While the temperature had dipped as evening firmed up, he sure brought that warm feeling rippling through the crowd. All that was missing was a round of pina colatas in Solo cups.

Clay Walker’s set list (see below) was a good sampling across his hefty catalog of music. He gave us three tracks from his most recent release “She Won’t Be Lonely Long.” He was sure to preface the title track by saying “gentlemen if you have a fine woman hang onto her. If not, lock one of these lookers down because they won’t be lonely long.” That was one of the few he introduced. Largely, he let the music speak for itself.

Clay Walker played a solid set. He and his band dug deep into the songs, feeding off the energy of the crowd. He may be settling into his role as an elder statesmen of country music, but he was rockin’ out as hard as the young guys.

Clay Walker Toadlick Set List
If I Could Make a Living
Wrong Enough to Know
Live Until I Die
She Won’t Be Lonely Long
When She’s Good She’s Good
‘Fore She Was Mama
Jesse James
Live, Laugh, Love
Dreaming with My Eyes Open
Rumor Has It
Then What?
Cold Hearted
I’m in the Mood for You
Fall
What’s It to You

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