Neon Circus plucks at its country strings but moves to a rock beat

Ol' Hank would surely be confounded by the Neon Circus & Wild West Show. But for all its packaging and publicity, this country-rock roadshow does have some reminders of the honky-tonk and bluegrass influences that Williams made famous more than 60 years ago, when he launched our love affair with country music.

Mega-star headliners Brooks & Dunn are the kingpins of the show, now in its second year, joined by talented maverick Dwight Yoakam, rowdy Trick Pony, Gary Allan (the not-quite-sultry-enough purveyor of "Smoke Rings in the Dark") and Chris Cagle, of the throaty and satisfyingly maudlin "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me?"

They appear Sunday at the Gorge Amphitheatre, well into their April-September national tour.

The Neon Circus & Wild West Show is a high-energy escape to music that romanticizes the world of hard-working men and hard-hearted women so beloved to the country fan, as it packs in rock-influenced hits and enough pyrotechnics and cowboy-themed sideshows to keep even video-dependent younger audience members riveted.

The Gorge, about three hours east of Seattle on Interstate 90 near the town of George, offers formidable competition to any stage show. One of the country's most scenic outdoor venues, it has fine acoustics and full-service camping facilities.

Its 20,000-person capacity gives a big-concert feel, but there's plenty of elbow room. The Neon Circus show opens the Gorge's 2002 season.

Reports from some of the Neon Circus' earlier stops describe a lively mix of in-y'all's-face-country laced with rock, politically incorrect humor and a good serving of audible patriotism. (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn opened the Country Music Awards, post-Sept. 11, with "Only in America" and fans haven't let them quit playing it since.)

Industry-award-laden Brooks & Dunn have two decades of sell-out concerts to their credit, and they've built their fame by dressing up a country repertoire in pop clothing. The subject matter is ageless, and they've produced their share of two-step entertainment, but the rock structure and sound is unmistakable.

The duo also has a devoted following of newcomers to country. These fans grew up with rock guitar and MTV, not Dobro and the Grand Old Opry.

Hits like Brooks & Dunn's "Good Girls Go to Heaven" play off these new mixed marriages with flashy rock-drumming counterpoint and lyrics that poke fun at the seeming contradictions:

"Some girls are into heavy metal / Dance with the devil everywhere they go / Others of 'em cut a rug to the fiddle / Dance to the rhythm of the cotton-eyed joe" (from the "Steers & Stripes" album).

Those who've been country fans a bit longer know that despite his secondary billing, Yoakam's twangy presence pretty much guarantees a memorable show.

Yoakam's spent much of his career slightly outside of the country mainstream. He was once shrugged off by "traditional" Nashville because of his unapologetic West Coast roots and influences. He's now been around long enough to be counted among the traditionalists. He's stayed true to his Everyman songs and unvarnished real-country sound (a New York music writer aptly characterized him as having a "pedal-steel voice") and his sets always include plenty of reminders of the folk and bluegrass roots and clear-voiced appeal of country music.

More to Gorge on

Other acts scheduled for the Gorge include the following:

• Sasquatch! Music Festival with the String Cheese Incident, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Galactic, Blackalicious, Soulive, Maktub and others (2 p.m., May 25, $46).

• Kenny Chesney: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems Tour 2002 with Montgomery Gentry, Jamie O'Neal, Phil Vassar (7 p.m., June 7, $38-$43).

• Eagles (8 p.m., June 15, $80-$140).

• Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth (7 p.m., June 29, $50-$66).

• The Who with Counting Crows (7:30 p.m., July 6, $61-$193).

• Vans Warped Tour (2:30 p.m., July 20, $20).

• Alan Jackson with Martina McBride & Carolyn Dawn Johnson (5 p.m., July 21, $40-$61).

• Lenny Kravitz with Pink and Abandoned Pools (7 p.m., Aug. 23, $46-$67).

• Ozzfest 2002 with Ozzy Osbourne, along with System of a Down, Rob Zombie, P.O.D., Drowning Pool, Adema, Black Label Society and 13 more bands on two stages (gates open at 9:30 a.m., Aug. 27, $62).

• Dave Matthews Band (7 p.m., Sept. 6-8, $41-$54).

Kimberly B. Marlowe: kmarlowe@seattletimes.com.