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Life & Arts

Lonestar's act marred by sound problems

Ayala, Perez attract record crowd for Go Tejano Day, Duff offers decent performance

by AMY PEREZ
The Daily Cougar

Sometimes a few technical difficulties can put a damper on a live musical performance. In the case of Friday night's RodeoHouston concert, country music mega group Lonestar fell victim to sound system problems that were most likely to blame for crowds of disappointed fans leaving before the concert's end.

Decked out in T-shirts and faded blue jeans, the group opened the set full of energy. Lead singer Richie McDonald carried an enthusiastic "good to be home" attitude throughout the first few songs, and his stage presence alone helped the audience make the transition from lively to nostalgic. The group performed its singles "Class Reunion (That Used to Be Us)" and the slower ballads "Let's Be Us Again" and "You're Like Coming Home" before sound trouble struck. Something may have been wrong with McDonald's microphone, as the confused singer tried adjusting his earpiece while singing.

Though Lonestar was nearly halfway through its set (the group was scheduled to perform 12 songs), fans were far less than amazed by the unpredictable volume fluctuation and crowds of people walked out ? but only to miss out on choppy renditions of other classics, like "I'm Already There."

Duff shows her stuff

Baby pink cowboy boots and cowboy hats were just a few of the fashion staples seen at Reliant Stadium when pop singer Hilary Duff performed in concert Thursday. Souvenir stands were packed with young girls and teens anxious for pink or black concert T-shirts, with a picture of the smiling native Houstonian on them.

Unlike most of her fans, though, Duff appeared onstage wearing tight black shorts, knee-high black boots and a black tank top bejeweled with an image of a skull. With twinkling skull earrings to match, her outfit seemed undoubtedly influenced by rocker boyfriend Joel Madden of the group Good Charlotte.

The pop starlet started her set with the upbeat "Wake Up." But despite the lively tempo of the song, Duff merely paced the stage, with occasional choreography added here and there with her backup dancers. 

"Come Clean," the single that accompanies the opening sequence to MTV's reality show Laguna Beach, was the best performed song of the night. Duff gracefully pushed her modest vocal abilities during the chorus, and the dramatic blue and white lighting complemented the mood of the song. Fans unabashedly cheered throughout her entire set, which may have been why the pop princess exclaimed, "It's so good to be home!"

Go Tejano Day

Scattered gray clouds and dismal drizzly weather could not keep crowds of eager fans from coming to enjoy the dual line-up of singers Jay Perez and Ramon Ayala at RodeoHouston's annual Go Tejano Day on March 12. Interjecting between the two concerts, four mariachi groups from various cities in Texas competed and were judged solely by audience applause.

Famous mostly for his emergence in the 1990s, about the time he launched his solo career apart from David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, singer Jay Perez took to the stage with an eagerness to belt out his new material. But the first few English-language songs in his set did not seem to excite the crowd as much as his more popular hits from the previous decade. Though only a few couples took to dancing in the aisles and between concessions stands, the familiarity of songs like "Ven Ami" and the guitar-infused "Son Tus Miradas" was clear as fans cheered for more and sang along. By his last song, it seemed as though Perez's momentum was just reaching its peak, but Ayala was still up to perform next.

While the rotating stage was being prepped for Ayala, four mariachi groups made up of students from all around Texas took turns impressing the crowd with long-winded vocals and precisely coordinated brass sections. The fourth and final group to perform, from Edinburgh earned the most applause at the competition's end and snagged first place.

Renowned accordion player and singer Ramon Ayala began his set on a more laid back note than Perez, as though his performance was intended for a smaller venue than the massive Reliant Stadium. Just a few songs into his half of the concert, Ayala surprised fans as he began a song normally played in dive bars and clubs when the house lights go up at closing time. Fans eagerly accompanied Ayala's mellow accordion playing with uninhibited singing along to "Tragos Amargos," a bluesy ballad about love, loneliness and booze. "Ya No Llores," followed soon after, reinforcing Ayala's knack for setting lonesome, yet seemingly ironic, feelings to music.

As the concert ended, the 70,481 fans in attendance ? a record for Go Tejano Day ? seemed content and ready to enjoy the rest of the late afternoon at the carnival and other RodeoHouston attractions.

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