FLORENCE — There had been mentions from the stage, and a few sobering recollections, but until Saturday night no one had paid a truly proper tribute to the late country icon Merle Haggard.
Both the headliner Jake Owen and his opener Chris Janson, gave the Hag his due, Janson going so far as to devote a big chunk of his hour-long set to the singer who died Wednesday — on his 79th birthday.
"Some people pass and you're OK with it," he told the audience that had swelled beyond 25,000 by the time he took the stage at 8 p.m. "But Merle's a different deal, people."
Janson was one of the last artists to tour with Haggard, who became ill early this year and cancelled a number of concerts in March. Janson got to stand on a stage with the man, rub shoulders with a legend who influenced the 30-year-old, and those experiences needed more than a song or few sobering words to fully appreciate.
Janson, sporting a 1979 Merle Haggard and the Strangers tour shirt, performed Haggard's "Footlights" and a medley of other classic Hag hits that included "My Favorite Memory."
Janson, a no-bones-about-it country artist in the purest sense of the notion, also performed his hits including the rocking if-I-win-the-lottery fantasy "Buy Me A Boat" and a lush ballad "Holding Her" that he wrote for his wife. That song is set to go to radio on May 2. One of the highlights of his show was when LoCash's Preston Brust and Chris Lucas joined him for the inspiring hand-clapper "I Love My Life," which Janson penned with the LoCash boys. Their appearance on his stage was repayment in kind for his appearance on their set earlier Saturday.
Owen was enjoying his first Country Thunder headlining slot and he made the most of it in a 90-minute show that mixed his hits with a handful of covers of everything from Alabama's "Mountain Music" to Van Halen's "Jump."
That seems to be the pattern with artists, to sprinkle familiar covers into their sets maybe as a way to keep new audiences interested or fill in blanks when you don't feel your own material can fill the time slot. But Owen has enough really good, upbeat songs and ballads to fill 90 minutes, many of which he played Saturday night: "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," "Eight Second Ride," "Real Life," "Keepin' It Country," 'Beachin'," "One That Got Away," "Anywhere" and his latest single "Real Life."
Also on Saturday:
• There were a few tricky moments early in California country singer Cam's early evening show when she tried to navigate the metal ramp bridging the stage and catwalk wearing bright yellow heels. She teetered a bit then plopped down and shimmied on her backside. After a few close calls, backstage crew members Richard Basile and Steve Abrams, both from Tucson, switched out the ramp for a set of steps.
Cam played most of her debut album "Untamed," including her hit ballad "Burning House" with a chorus assist from the audience.
• LoCash moved up a few slots on the lineup this year. They were one of the first acts on the marquee in 2014, meaning they played to four people, according to Preston Brust. This duo is a lot of fun and it's easy to see them move up to opening for a headliner or even headlining. In addition to their No. 1 hit "I Love This Life," the pair performed their testament to drinking "I Know Somebody," roping the audience in for the punchline chorus: One long island, two long island, three long island, fall." When someone in the crowd sang "four long island" instead of "fall," Lucas set them straight:
"Nobody gets to four," he said, noting that's why the fourth verse is fall. Four Long Island Ice Teas and you're down for the count.
Country Thunder wraps up Sunday with Thousand Horses, Randy Houser and headliner Eric Church.
