Waylon Gives The Crowd Plenty To Cheer About

---------------- Nightclub review ----------------

Waylon Jennings in two shows last night at the Backstage.

Waylon Jennings is still an outlaw.

He shot down the Supersuckers last night.

Twice.

But no jury in the West would convict the country legend because he did it for good reason. He canceled the opening sets at both his Backstage shows because he wanted to do full 90-minute sets for both audiences, and that would have left too little time for the Supersuckers to play. So the band members popped a few beers, joined the adoring throng and watched the first set.

The craggy, grizzled Jennings, who wears his legend well, still cultivates a bad-boy image, and the fans love it. In one of the many comments and stories he drawled between songs he told of going to a doctor for pain in his hands but the treatment only made the pain worse. "Sue him!" somebody in the crowd yelled. Nah, said Waylon, he reckoned he'd just take it out of his hide.

That led to a lot of whooping and hollering from the packed house, as did many of Jennings' comments, as well as many of his songs. But when some guy cried "I love you Waylon!" he quipped, "That's just about enough. Settle down now. I didn't come here to be yelled at."

In good form

Backed by a tight five-piece band, and playing his famous guitar decorated in white and black leather, Jennings was in fine voice and good spirits. He featured songs from his most recent albums, including "Waymore's Blues (Part II)" and "Right for the Time," as well as many of the classic country songs he's famous for.

Wearing a black cowboy hat and a black poncho with Indian designs - which he said he bought at the Salvation Army in Prescott, Ariz., 25 years ago - he sang melancholy songs about growing old, bittersweet love songs, rowdy drinking songs, sassy novelty tunes and sweet lullabies.

He compared himself to a classic car in "I May Be Used (But Baby I Ain't Used Up)," confessed that "I've Always Been Crazy" ("because it keeps me from going insane"), celebrated his craft in "Honky Tonk Heroes," waved the flag in "America," and showed a tender side with the romantic "Amanda."

Audience joins in

The crowd loved the classics, singing along to "Luckenbach, Texas," spelling out the words to "Waymore's Blues," swaying to "Lovin' Her Was Easier." And they roared laughing at a talking blues song about a marriage gone sour with lines such as "I'm overwrought and she's overweight."

The songs were sweetened by the pealing pedal-steel guitar and intricate mandolin playing of longtime Jennings' sidekick Fred Newall. Several other Jennings' veterans were in the five-piece band crowded onto the small stage, including Jerry "Jigger" Bridges on bass and drummer Jeff Hale.

Parked out back of the Backstage in the pouring rain was Jennings' big tour bus, emblazoned with his stylized Eagle logo. Waiting for him inside, he told the crowd at the first show, was his wife Jessi Colter, a recording star in her own right. Too bad she didn't join him for some duets.