
Country singer Toby Keith unleashed a beer-soaked tribute to the United States during his concert Friday (8/20) at the Phoenix area's Glendale Arena.
Keith, wearing his trademark beaten straw hat, alternated between drinking songs and transparent patriotism during the two-hour show. He provided his audience with red, white and blue confetti, video images of the American flag, patriotic salutes and good ol' ass-kicking comments.
He appeared on stage in a boisterous fashion. A video showed him and a dog riding in a Ford truck (naturally), pulling up to a bar called "I Love this Bar" (naturally). When he was unable to gain entry, he hooked up a chain--per his dog's idea--to the door and pulled the bar down. A white curtain that served as the videoscreen then dropped to the floor, and pyrotechnics announced Keith's arrival on stage, which was designed as a mock bar called Toby's--complete with urinals.
The burly, deep-voiced singer kicked off his performance with a fiery rendition of his latest single, "Stays in Mexico," from his forthcoming "Greatest Hits 2."
The Oklahoman used song titles in nearly every segue, leaving little to the imagination. During his first spurt of between-song banter, Keith announced, "Country's come to town," alluding to his hit "Country Comes to Town," which generated a fervent response and an alcohol salute from the crowd. He ended the song with his first burst of patriotism--"Call me an American or you can kiss my American ass." The audience cheered with acceptance.
"You know, I'm a busy, busy man. I can talk about lockin' it down forever, but I'm talkin' about lockin' it down tonight," he said about "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight," his ode to one-night flings.
Speaking of self-aggrandizing motions, Keith tried to woo female fans as he referred to his biceps as "big dogs" and thrust his hips as he sang "Who's Your Daddy."
Women wearing homemade shirts emblazoned with "whiskey girl" soaked in his mere mention of the song: "Everyone knows Arizona is full of whiskey, women, beer and gold." He interrupted the song by shouting "Cowboy up and say ‘Yee-haw.'"
Beer, whiskey or any other alcoholic beverage was a major theme of the evening, as Keith underscored while introducing "Talk About Me."
"I just thought I would check in on y'all--it's been over a year--and see if y'all party anymore," he said. "I hope you do. That's what we're here for and that's what we're going to do."
Later, he told the three-quarters-full arena that he was looking for a "president" of his drinking team.
"Is anyone partaking in alcohol tonight?" he asked. "Attention, please: will anyone go out and party tonight after the show? I'm looking for a president of my drinking team for the rest of the night."
He led the crowd in a song-along to his drinking anthem "Beer for My Horses," during which a pre-recorded Willie Nelson sang his part via large videoscreen backdrops. Plenty of cups were in the air as they sang the chorus, "We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces/singing whiskey for my men, beer for my horses."
The partying continued with the rowdy "You Ain't Much Fun Since I Quit Drinking" and "Weed With Willie," a comical song about partaking in illegal substances on Nelson's bus.
About midway through the show, the pro-United States stance kicked in full throttle. Keith described his band members as the best musicians in the world, but stressed that they are all Americans. His focus, he said however, was on soldiers stationed overseas.
"It's very important that everyone goes home tonight and prays for the people overseas," he said.
During "American Soldier," a sea of fans on the main floor gave the peace sign to Keith, others saluted the singer, or pointed at their Bush-Cheney T-shirts.
As the song wrapped up, Keith kept his head down as an abbreviated rock version of the National Anthem was played. He then strapped on a red, white and blue guitar for the controversial "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)." As his voice became angrier, pictures of Keith on a U.S.O. tour flashed on videoscreens behind him.
"God bless y'all Arizona," he said as red, white and blue confetti sprayed over the crowd.
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