Country Mike Blog

Wade Bowen in Webster

Mike Sudhalter  |  December 5, 2010

The southern suburbs of Houston are known for NASA, beaches and boating.

It hasn't been since the legendary honky-tonk, Gilley's, in Pasadena, shut down that cowboy hats, boots and fiddles ruled the roost in this neck of the woods.

And Texas Country isn't Urban Cowboy or fiddles/steel guitar traditional music.

But that was just fine with the wall-to-wall crowd that packed Big Texas Dancehall & Saloon for a two-hour show by Texas Music star Wade Bowen.

Bowen has risen through the ranks of the Texas Music hierarchy and is now at the level of a Pat Green or Cross Canadian Ragweed. He's also received some attention nationally, playing the Grand Ole Opry for the first time last year.

Unlike some Texas Music artists, the heart of Bowen's is still tied to its roots. I closed my eyes during the Webster show, and I could have imagined myself at in a rowdy college atmosphere in College Station, Lubbock or San Marcos.

Bowen's show had a little bit of something for everyone - there were the newer songs like "If We Ever Make It Home" and "You Had Me At My Best" to West 84 classics like "Getaway" and "Keep Holding On" and ballads - "Mood Ring", "Who I Am" and "One Step Closer"

The more recent tunes seem to be more serious, while most of the older ones seem a little more light-hearted.

Speaking of light-hearted, Bowen got into the holiday spirit with a cover of Robert Earl Keen's sing-a-long favorite, "Merry Christmas From The Family."

Not everyone at the dance hall was a Country Music or Texas Music fan, and for those folks, their highlight of the evening came when Bowen sang a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude"- he did an admirable job of it.

This was only the second concert I'd been to since the start of high school football season, so hopefully I'll have more opportunities to check out Texas Music shows in 2011.