Fans 'Get Drunk and Be Somebody' with Toby Keith

With the stage set-up looking like the front end of a Ford truck and almost every fan with a bottle in hand, everyone knew they were at a country show when they walked into the Resch Center Friday night. Country star Toby Keith made a stop in Green Bay as a part of his "Biggest & Baddest" tour with fellow country artist, Jack Ingram. Ingram played songs such as "That's a Man," "Keep On Keepin' On," "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," and the popular "Love You," which much of the crowd danced and sang along to. Announcing the next song as his first No. 1, the crowd screamed as Ingram sang "Wherever You Are." Ingram received excellent feedback from fans after each and every song, complete with applause and screams. Performing his own version of the band Hinder's popular "Lips of an Angel," with an obvious country twist, Ingram showed off his incredibly wide vocal range and even a little bit of his rock side. Before Ingram ended his set, he politely introduced himself one last time and told fans to sit tight for Keith's portion of the show. "My name is Jack. Always has been, always will be. Enjoy the hell outta Toby Keith, I know I will." Ingram told the crowd as he stepped off stage. Keith kicked off his set with a trailer to his recent movie, "Beer For My Horses," which concluded with an explosion of fireworks and confetti that led into his song "She's a Hottie." The crowd was on their feet and screaming as soon as Keith stepped on stage and the pyrotechnics and special effects began. Keith often had various images decorating the video screens, such as whiskey bottles surrounding his face during the song, "Whiskey Girl." Definitely a favorite among the ladies, best friends danced and sang along to the popular tune. The music video played while he performed "God Love Her," which is about a rebellious teenage girl breaking free from her religious family and running off to California with a bad boy. With most of his lyrics referring to pick-up trucks, alcohol, women, and America as a whole,.Keith truly sums up the country life. Long-time fan, Clint Rauterkaus, said he's seen Keith in the past at Country USA and came back with a group of friends to see him here in Green Bay. "He's a country boy, just like we always were," Rauterkaus said. Another fan, Ray Bambryant, said Keith just knows how to relate to guys like himself. "Toby Keith sings about all the stuff I grew up doing." Bambryant said. "It just makes it really easy to enjoy his music. He's all about havin' fun in life and that's what most of us are all about, too. Especially us in Green Bay! Just 'cause he's a celebrity doesn't mean he ain't a normal guy." Keith seems to be quite a fan of the folks in Green Bay, as well, since he's been to the Resch a few times before, according to a Resch Center staff member. "I don't love the weather, but I got plenty of whiskey so I'm all right," Keith said. At one point during the show, Keith mentioned Brett Favre, which received both boo's and cheers. Chances are, Keith's a fan of the quarterback, himself. There's even a parody song on the internet called "We Love Brett Favre," sang to the tune of Keith's "I Love This Bar." After bringing up Favre, Keith told the crowd there were five things he wanted to talk about on stage, and he couldn't remember the last one. "Oh yeah, I wanna talk about me." Keith said, as the band started playing his popular hit, "I Wanna Talk About Me." This song proved how passionate country fans are about their favorite music, as fans young and old were singing along to the humorous lyrics. Photographs from Keith's personal life were displayed on these screens, also, during his song, "Honkytonk U," which is about growing up playing gigs at bars and fairs. In the song, he sings of himself as a self-proclaimed graduate of the "honky tonk." Continuing with the alcohol theme of the night, Keith introduced his song, "Get Drunk and Be Somebody," while everyone got out of their seats once again for the perfectly-fitting song for beginning of the weekend. With the song lyrics rolling across the video screens, every fan, old or new, was able to have fun with this upbeat Toby tune. Raising a cold one above their heads, fans sang Keith's lyrics back to him, "We just punched out and it's paycheck Friday/ The weekend's here, good-God almighty/ Baby, let's get drunk and be somebody." Later on Keith decided to slow things down a bit with the ballad "Love Me If You Can," which brought many couples down to the main floor of the Resch Center for some romantic slow dancing. For many, there wasn't much that could compare to dancing with their loved one to their favorite artist up on stage, watching them perform it live. Even the audience members that were seated toward the back of the Resch Center had a clear view of the stage. Three large video screens were included in Keith's performance set-up. After ending his set, Keith was bombarded with foot stomps and screams as the audience shouted "U.S.A! U.S.A!" over and over until he brought his band back on stage for an encore. Fans were treated to some more Toby and left the Resch Center satisfied. Everyone appeared to have nothing on their mind but good old country music throughout the entire night. Fans were so engaged in the music, few people even got up to wander around or make a trip to the bathroom between songs. The main focus of the night was clearly having a good time, not only for Ingram and Keith, but for the audience as well. For more information on Toby Keith, visit tobykeith.com. Information on Jack Ingram can be found at jackingram.net.