Photo by Mary Jane Farmer
Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer. Many photos linked below
It was a sell-out, Aaron Watson’s concert at the Event Center, Choctaw Casino, at Grant, Okla., Friday night (July 24, 2015) Sell-outs are rare there, but not unheard of. Casino staff greeted the attendees at the entrance, offering each of them help in locating their reserved seats. The standing-room crowd had their good time in the back of the large room, and management maintained its no-moshing at the stage policy.
Aaron Watson showed the packed house his very best side. Full of good stories to go along with his good songs. He opened with his No. 1 song on the Texas charts, “Freight Train,” which is his second hit off the new CD The Underdog, on the heels of the hit, “That Look.” The Underdog set a record on its own, too, premiering at the No. 1 spot on Billboard chart, unique for an independent artist.
One of those songs, “Fence Post,” explains why Watson remains independent, even after 
more than a decade of recording and performing. The repeat line is a quote from Sam Houston, “I’d rather be an old fence post in Texas than the king of Tennessee.” He explained why and when he wrote his earlier hit, “July in Cheyenne,” about Lane Frost. One song dedicated to a passed-on relative. Another, he explained as the dimple showed up big-time, he wrote when he was in college and it has absolutely no personal meaning whatsoever. He told stories of having to have his clothes dryer repaired, of the extreme feelings when he and his wife lost one of their children, of family military members… stories of life.
There is a tiny tidbit of Nashville in Aaron’s shows — he often uses the same point-at-someone-in-the-crowd motion that Luke Bryan and Dustin Lynch and other of the Nashville ilk use. But, then, who knows — maybe Bryan and Lynch are copying Watson’s “commercial appeal” stage actions.
It was K95.5’s Will Payne and Barry Diamond who brought Aaron and his band on stage with their genuine charm and enthusiasm. Later in the show, Aaron invited Payne’s young son, Hayes, to the stage, where the two of them had a good time together.
The band consisted of the usual four instruments — guitars, drums, bass— plus a fiddle. All well orchestrated and animated to make it all more fun for everybody. (Sorry, tho Mr. Watson gave their names several times, this photographer/reviewer was without pencil and so didn’t get those names.)
Watson explained that he doesn’t do encores, but would be at his merch table as long as it took for everyone to say hello. The show ended, and Aaron stayed on the stage for a while, giving 
everyone who came forward one of his guitar picks, inscribed on one side with his name and on the other side are the words “Pick Jesus.” He shook hands, high-fived and knuckle-bumped, and posed for selfie pix with his fans, the band members continuing to play behind them. Then, that done, Aaron headed to the merch table at the far end of the room. The queue of fans lined up reached back to the stage, while the Choctaw crews began their clean-up, put-up, and break-down of the room to include all the individual chairs and all the equipment on stage.