Aaron Lewis at Choctaw Event Center, Durant

| December 7, 2014 | Reply

AL 8 10x8 name redStory and photos by Mary Jane Farmer. For more photos, click here

He’s gone country. Aaron Lewis, the lead singer with former rock band Staind, set the pace for his performance Saturday night (Dec. 6, 2014) at Choctaw’s Event Center by getting the crowd to rise and, hands over hearts, recite the Pledge of Allegiance with him.

He then proceeded by breaking into his warship “Country Boy,” and many of the 3,500 fans joined him in singing “I’ve been known to smoke a little weed.” If that were all to the lyrics, it could discourage a straight-laced listener, but the song goes on to say, “Now two flags fly above my land
, that really sum up how I feel
. One is the colors that fly high and proud -
The red, the white, the blue. The other one’s got a rattlesnake
 with a simple statement made
. “Don’t tread on me” is what it says. 
And I’ll take that to my grave.”

Resources say that Staind took its leave in 2012, and that’s when Lewis released his second country-style CD project, this time a solo, The Road, and set out on his newly-chosen musical path. His first independently-styled endeavor came out a year earlier, Town Line, which featured help from Charlie Daniels and others.AL 2 8x10 name

He had a full band on the Choctaw Event Center stage, but the overall feel was that of an acoustic set. Lewis’ voice effortlessly hit more than one octave with the strength of that snake on the centuries-old flag. It’s a voice that gives honor to any lyrics crossing his lips.

Keeping it in perspective, too, was the masterful use of lights and sound, not overdone (as especially stage lighting can be) and the tasteful talents of musicians on electric, slide, steel, bass, and dobro guitars, and drums.

 

 

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Category: *- Features, Choctaw Casinos

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In the music production business, including event production, booking, photography, reporting, and other such essentials, since 1980.

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