Toby Keith,
Shut Up and Hold On tour
First Niagara Pavilion,
Burgettstown, PA
Aug. 8, 2014

By Michael Rampa

Everything about Toby Keith is big, from his stature to the nickname Big Dog Daddy.  Of course, his shows must follow suit.

Burgettstown PA’s sold out First Niagara Pavilion waited patiently on a perfect Saturday evening as the lawn filled under the full moon for the aggressively titled, “Shut Up And Hold On tour.”

After a five minute sketch comedy commercial featuring Carrot Top for tour sponsor Ford, the 6’3” Oklahoman opened amidst pyro and smoke clad in his signature button down and straw cowboy hat with “Haven’t Had A Drink All Day,” a song from his 16^th album, ”Hope On The Rocks.”  It set the tone for a two-hour hard partying/pro America rally.  Three songs actually have “America” in the title.

Despite a regular release schedule, Keith doesn’t really tour in support of new material but features a generous greatest hits set list that is all over the board and laden with oldies. The capable Easy Money band features a rare horn section in addition to the traditional pedal steel and fiddle.

Ax

Ax men Mica Roberts and Carl Murr showcased their blistering runs early on with a scorching version of “Whiskey Girl”.

From there Keith engineered a conflicted, yet effective block of songs that showcased rockers unabashedly featuring themes of drinking, sex and fighting countered with ballads you could cuddle to. Keith usually pens all of his material and is an award winning  songwriter. Though an obvious crowd favorite, he performed the No. 1 clichéd party anthem, “Red Solo Cup “between two inflatables and it came off as silly.

Redemption came in the form of older classics when he ditched three covers from the set list in favor  of a few massive hits from the Nineties. The tender “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” and the equally deep  “Who’s That Man” provided a welcome relief from the scorching Les Paul/Carvin shred fest put on by Roberts and Murr.

His devotion to the military and civil servants is backed up by his relentless USO touring and financial support to their causes. Nonetheless, his powerful signature, “Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue” is almost comically over the top with the chorus, “We’ll put a boot in you’re a$%, it’s the American way.” His love of America is matched only by his disdain of the current bro country movement. The latter is most appropriate as Keith is about as close as you can get to traditional country these days.

Keith’s daughter Krystal in the pre-opener slot was adequate but uninspiring. Colt Ford followed with a wildly well received block of his signature hard charging rock/rap tunes that immediately bring Kid Rock to mind.