Returning to Hutto, Texas for its 5th Anniversary, KOKE Fest started off strong on Friday afternoon for the first of two days in the city’s Hutto Park at Brushy Creek.
The day started a little after 5 PM when Triston Marez took the stage to kick the day off. Marez has improved a lot since the last time I saw him this January. He has great style and has a certain swagger on stage that makes him fun to watch. He and his band performed a tight 50-minute set that included a story of him getting his song Where The Neon Lies recorded by Ronnie Dunn on Dunn’s latest album, 100 Proof Neon. Marez was a great way to kick the day’s festivities off and I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
Larry Fleet took the stage after Marez and was the only person that I hadn’t really listened to before the fest. He reminds me of a younger Jamey Johnson, mainly because he has a big beard and a booming voice. This is why I found it hilarious when Fleet mentioned before the song Highway Feet that Johnson had inspired the song after telling Fleet, “Let’s get on the road together, I gotta get back on my highway feet.” His set almost has me confused now as to why he opened for Morgan Wallen. I don’t think their styles are very similar at all but if anything, I’m glad he’s getting that exposure from opening a tour as huge as Wallen’s is this year.
After Fleet is where I think the party really got started when Lubbock’s own Randall King took the stage. I saw King at Cotton Fest and wrote about how I was really underwhelmed by his performance. He played for nearly 2 hours which is normally awesome for artists to do but I’ve never seen any other artists play in full-on dust storms. I think I’m still cleaning dust off of my camera to this day. However, his set yesterday afternoon was an incredible improvement. Maybe it’s because it was abbreviated or maybe it’s because I’ve warmed up to his music but I had a much much better time at his set yesterday than I did at Cotton Fest. King came out on stage in a cowboy hat, sleeveless t-shirt, jean shorts, and boots, probably the best outfit any of the performers had all evening, and launched straight into Baby Do from his latest album Shot Glass. For an hour, he was relentless on stage and the crowd absolutely loved it. And somehow, this time around, his 90’s Country Medley didn’t kill the momentum of his set at all. He breezed through most of the same material but it was met by a much better crowd reaction and much more energy. Some of the biggest highlights of his set were his performances of the songs Heartstrings and Mirror Mirror, both songs from his self-titled album that translate so well live. Especially Heartstrings, that song is an absolute banger.
During the set change, King ran down along the barricade to sign autographs and take selfies with fans. Even taking time to sign one fan’s, as they called it, Croot, a cowboy boot with a Croc stuck on the bottom of it. I always have respect for artists that take the time to do that even when they have much better things to do, especially in yesterday’s heat.
Another set change led to Aaron Watson‘s set. If I hadn’t been granted media access, Aaron would’ve been one of the biggest selling points for me. Not just because I’m a huge fan of him and his music, but also because this is his first run of shows back since having to take 3 months of vocal rest after having surgery on his vocal cords. It was almost impossible to tell though because Watson has not missed a beat at all. He sounded fantastic, performed with tons of energy and charisma, and his stage banter was great and not overdone as well. He’s always been great at stage banter and I know this is a random thing to talk about but it’s true. Whether he was telling fiddle player Damian Green to play something so beautiful it would make a buff, bearded man near the front cry or after wishing two girls a happy birthday, saying “Well I guess every pretty lady in Hutto has a birthday today” after multiple other people claimed it was their birthday. Also noteworthy is a new addition to Watson’s band, his song Jake playing rhythm guitar. He did make it clear though that “even though all the girls love him, his momma said no, he’s not available.”
Oh, and sorry to spoil the next set but Watson was easily the best performer of the day. He was all smiles on stage and is backed by a band of incredibly talented musicians who on their own could be huge stars. His set didn’t dip too far back into his back catalog, the oldest song he played was a snippet of Shut Up and Dance from his 2003 album of the same name. As far as full songs go though, he didn’t go back farther than 2012’s Real Good Time for what’s always the emotional high point of his show, his performance of July In Cheyenne, a song dedicated to Lane Frost, a legendary bull rider who tragically died in 1989 from injuries sustained after being hit in the back by his bull’s horn. It’s a really beautiful song and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a little bit. Following that performance, the energy picked back up with his band playing solos, from Damian Green playing Devil Went Down to Georgia to drummer Nate Coon playing My Hero by Foo Fighters to Jake Watson playing Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC. Watson’s set ended with him saying that as long as people keep supporting his music, supporting artists, and supporting fests like KOKE Fest, “Texas music will never go out of style” then launching into his song Outta Style. Watson is always a fantastic performer and I can’t recommend seeing him live enough.
The night ended with the legendary Clint Black who is brave as hell performing in all black from head to toe. Black felt hat, black long sleeve shirt, black jeans, I get that it’s his last name but geez dude, it was like 100 degrees outside when he stepped on stage. At 60 years old, Black still sounds fantastic and has tons of charisma on stage. However, I’m gonna be completely honest, his set wasn’t anything really remarkable. In a way, his show almost reminded me of seeing Paul McCartney. Sure he has a lot of great stories and a lot of funny jokes but it seems like he’s been telling these jokes and stories for the past 10 years. Most of the show felt like Black and his band were just running on autopilot. I’m sure there were people that had a great time but when Black left for his encore, most of the audience headed in droves towards the exits, myself included.
That’s not to say I didn’t have fun while I was there though and that’s mainly due to how the setlist was structured. I think The Shoes You’re Wearing was a fantastic opener and A Better Man in the third slot was super fun as well and led a huge sing along. There was a run in the middle of his set that went from No Time to Kill to Like the Rain to A Good Run of Bad Luck which was probably the highest point of the show for me personally, just to have those three bangers back to back to back. And while I know I just complained about his banter, Black did have one line at the beginning of his show that stuck out because it’s something I’ve never really heard artists say before. As he said hello, Black said, “We’re so happy you’re here with us tonight. We’re happy to be here with you, but we’d be happy to be anywhere with you.”
KOKE Fest continues today with performances from Turnpike Troubadours, Robert Earl Keen, American Aquarium, and Muscadine Bloodline. I’ll be on-site again with more pictures and more coverage!
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