To be honest, I've never been the most comfortable in bars. I don't drink or smoke and the stereotype situations a gal on her own in one might find don't appeal to me. But my musical friends were successfully persuasive in getting me down to the 5 Spot in East Nashville to check out the queen of rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. It turned out to be one of the most fun evenings I've ever had.
As bars go, I found the 5 Spot to have a pleasant atmosphere. The music they play in between sets sounds a lot like my radio show, so I was digging that. A wide age range of people were well-behaved and just having a fun time loving the music and dancing. I also enjoyed seeing some of the retro fashions that folks were coming in with to get in the spirit of the evening.
Wanda Jackson, as you may have heard, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. She looked terrific and her vocals still packed a punch. Elvis Presley was a great encouragement to her as she was beginning her career in the 1950's, so she paid tribute to him with a medley of a few of his songs. Some of the biggest crowd favorites were her own hits such as "Riot In Cell Block #9", the country "Right Or Wrong", and the one I know a lot of us were waiting to hear, "Let's Have A Party".
There were two opening acts for Wanda. A young female group, Those Darlins, combined the power pop high-energy and spirit of the Go-Gos with a country twang. My Radio Free Nashville colleagues, Steve Haggard, Kimberly King and their band (which included Walter Egan) played a short but excellent set. Most of the group also served double duty as Wanda's backup band and did a great job.
I'm glad I decided to come after all when my schedule opened up. I had a nice time with some nice people. I love this town.
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