Music

Ken Burns celebrates ‘Country Music’ with all-star Nashville concert


Ken Burns was in his element Wednesday night at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

When the filmmaker took the stage at country music’s mother church, he was greeted with a standing ovation — from a room filled, clearly, with fans of American history, public television, and “Country Music.”

That’s the title and subject of Burns’ upcoming 16-hour documentary, which will premiere in September on PBS. On Wednesday, the Ryman hosted an all-star concert celebration of that documentary, and it too was filmed for a future PBS broadcast.

The show’s dozen-plus performers included Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Kathy Mattea and Ricky Skaggs — many of whom were seen in interview clips from “Country Music” that played between performances.

Their song choices hinted at the names that will loom large in the film: from Bill Monroe and Bob Wills to Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

Among the highlights: Holly Williams’ haunting take on her grandfather Hank WIlliams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry;” (that goes double for Rosanne Cash’s performance of her father’s “I Still Miss Someone”); the power trio of Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Vince Gill blazing through Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen;” and Dwight Yoakam paying tribute to his late heroes Merle Haggard and Buck Owens on “Mama’s Hungry Eyes” and “Streets of Bakersfield.”

 

DOCUMENTARY: Ken Burns to donate major trove of ‘Country Music’ interviews to Country Music Hall of Fame

“He said, ‘Do you play the fiddle?’ I went, ‘Oh, yeah.’ It was the biggest lie, because I am the world’s worst fiddle player. At the end of the first tour, he sent me my check, sent me a letter…then it said, ‘P.S. Do all fiddles squeak, or just yours?'”

Since he couldn’t do it justice on fiddle, Stuart opted to take on “Orange Blossom Special” on his mandolin — a dizzying solo performance that set the Ryman ablaze.

But when this concert hits television, the moment everyone will likely be talking about is Vince Gill’s tender, transcendent performance of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Afterwards, when nearly everyone in the Ryman rose to their feet, Gill turned his back to direct their applause to the image of Parton on the video screen.

Putting together a TV concert special is complicated, of course. Many of the stars also got behind a podium to tell viewers about country’s legendary artists. Gill got tripped up a couple of times, then quipped to the audience: “PBS got a little budget crunch. That’s why my a** is up here.”

For reasons that weren’t clear to the audience or the artists, a couple of performances had to be repeated. That included a fantastic group sing-along of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” which ended the night on a perfect note — until it had to be done again. Skaggs joked that it was a little early for April Fools.

“Country Music”  will air its first four parts at nightly Sunday, September 15 through Wednesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. CT. Parts 5 through 8 will follow on Sunday, September 22 through Wednesday, September 25.

Setlist

Rhiannon Giddens and Ketch Secor – “Ruby (Are You Mad)”

Ketch Secor – “He’s in the Jailhouse Now”

Riders in the Sky – “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”

Asleep at the Wheel – “New San Antonio Rose”

Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill – “Uncle Pen”

Holly Williams – “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”

Marty Stuart – “Orange Blossom Special”

Rhiannon Giddens – “Crazy”

Dwight Yoakam – “Mama’s Hungry Eyes”

Dwight Yoakam and Dierks Bentley – “Streets of Bakersfield”

Kathy Mattea – “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

Larry Gatlin – “Sunday Morning Coming Down”

Rodney Crowell – “Pancho and Lefty”

Dierks Bentley – “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?”

Vince Gill – “I Will Always Love You”

Ricky Skaggs – “Don’t Get Above Your Raising”

Rosanne Cash – “I Still Miss Someone”

All – “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Want to read more stories like this? A Tennessean subscription gets you unlimited access to all the latest music news, newsletters with the inside scoop from Music City, a personalized mobile experience and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network’s 109 local sites. 

 



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.