By Kalena Reynolds | Opinion Editor
On a blissfully sunny evening, the air loomed with anticipation. Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed headlined “The Boys From Oklahoma” concert Saturday at McLane Stadium.
The lineup of bands started their first show of “The Boys From Oklahoma” in April and will conclude with their last show in New Braunfels.
The first show opener, American Aquarium, took the stage at 5 p.m. The crowd cheered as the band glided from one song to another. They played “Wichita Falls,” one of their first records, which surged electricity through the heat-filled crowd.
“I Hope He Breaks Your Heart” was next in the setlist, showcasing the band’s flexibility as artists. The angsty ballad injected the crowd with equal amounts of rage and yearning.
As American Aquarium played their last song, the lead singer, BJ Barham, introduced the band and left the crowd with one last memento: “Be good to people.”
Chip Gaines entered the stage to introduce the second artist of the night, Waco native Wade Bowen.
Bowen opened with “Trouble,” a record off his 2008 album “If We Ever Make It Home.” The second song, “West Texas Rain,” blended into the first, displaying the emotion behind him as a creative and the power of his ballad-heavy songwriting.
In the middle of Bowen’s set, he brought out his 17-year-old son to play a song called “Nothing But Texas,” in which he took the first verse and his son the second, interlacing on the choruses.
The end of his set rang with an upbeat rock song called “Saturday Night,” which closed with a statement from Bowen: “take care of yourself, take care of your kids, call your mom.”
The last opener, Dale Brisby, came out to announce Shane Smith & The Saints, saying, “I used to ride bulls with Shane, and if you don’t have him on your playlist, you ain’t no cowboy.”
The band opened with a high-energy fiddle-forward song, bandmates all dancing around in a circle. The stadium was infiltrated with a newfound sense of excitement and cheer. The lead singer, Shane Smith, took the reins with a baritone, folk-heavy song that resonated throughout the stadium called “Adeline.”
The energy increased with the group’s second song called “Feather in the Wind.” The atmosphere of the stadium surged until the end of the set, during which the crowd sang in complete unison. Beach balls bounced from person to person, phone flashlights shone and hands reached into the air, waving. The crowd was fully engulfed in the magnetism of their performance.
Following an extended break for a set change, Turnpike Troubadours took the stage around 7:45 p.m. with an electric mid-tempo song that lit up the rapidly increasing crowd. The second song was an upbeat folk song that led with acoustic guitar and fiddle.
As the group transitioned into the middle portion of their setlist, they shifted into a rock-heavy song with an increasing use of the banjo, ultimately showcasing the band’s ability to transition seamlessly from bluegrass to rock, folk and Americana.
During the middle of Turnpike’s set, the group broke into a guitar-heavy ballad that the lead singer, Evan Felker, announced as being an ode to people who still make money using their voice.
As the sun began to set, the songs picked up in tempo, ranging from drum-heavy upbeat esoteric bluegrass songs to mainstream country as well.
Following the conclusion of the set, the preparation for Cross Canadian Ragweed began as the stadium held up energy for the over five-hour-long set.
Between the uniqueness of the concert lineup and the energy in the stadium, the tone of the Cross Canadian Ragweed reunion show was truly unique, characterized by the loud energy and high spirits of the crowd.
