Film Review: Mr. Death

The Scoop

By Matthew Fowler
Daily Cougar Staff

If this weekend's showing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was any indication of what we can expect for the next two weeks, this just might be one of the greatest Rodeos ever.

Friday night's opening festivities, headlined by the classic country combination of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, welcomed a sizable paid attendance of 57,838 fans.

Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

A beautiful, sunny day Saturday only added to the excitement, as the matinee and evening performances averaged 55,000 fans each.

Lonestar, a group that has recently caught fire, made its second consecutive HLS&R appearance while entertaining the large and appreciative midday crowd.

Jo Dee Messina, a feisty, fiery red-head and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award winner, made her first-ever HLS&R appearance and tore it up in front of the late crowd.

Thanks to the wave of recent success from the Song of The Year candidate "Amazed" and its current single, "Smile," most of Lonestar's one-hour set was devoted to performing songs from its now double-platinum album, Lonely Grill.

Besides the two songs mentioned above, lead singer Richie McDonald also led the four-member group in some not-as-popular songs, such as "Saturday Night," "What About Now" and "You Don't Know What Love Is."

Just when you thought it might play another, Lonestar would break into one of its previous hits like "You Walked In," "Come Cryin' To Me" and "No News."

Many have correctly compared Lonestar's style and sound to that of The Eagles and Alabama, so it was only fitting that the band included a medley of hit songs from both of these storied groups.

Remarkably, the audience could constantly be heard singing along throughout the performance, and at one point, the group even stopped playing and simply let the audience sing.

Arguably one of the hottest country females in 1999, Jo Dee Messina may be new to Houston's Rodeo, but she is not new to the country music scene.

But it took Messina's second album, I'm Alright, for people to finally take notice of what she has to offer.

While much of the 70-minute set included songs from that album, several songs came from her new album, which is due out in late spring or early summer.

The electrified audience could definitely sense the extra hop in Messina's step, and happily joined in on the No. 1 hits "Stand Beside Me," "I'm Alright" and "Bye Bye."

Other well-performed songs included "Heads Carolina, Tails California," We're Not In Kansas Anymore" and "Because You Love Me," dedicated to the Houston fans and radio.

New songs worth checking out are "Get Up and Dance," "Down Time" and the impressive, possible crossover song, "Burn."

The night came to a stand still, however, when Messina's self-proclaimed favorite, "Even God Must Get The Blues," brought tears to the eyes and emotional shivers to the soul.