This is one way that I would describe the artist that Ann and I were lucky enough to see his concert this past Friday night at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford: Charlie Daniels.
The tickets, which Ann was lucky enough to get from a co-worker who couldn’t use them, had us three rows from the stage, an unbelievable way to watch a music legend do his stuff. Officially, its the Charlie Daniels Band that we saw but it was Charlie alone,at 83, who amazed me with his still youthful enthusiasm from the start of the show until the very end.
The end of his concert is what Charlie saved his classic, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,”for. This song, about a young boy, hoping to win a golden fiddle risks losing his soul to the devil if he can’t play better than him(the devil), is an upbeat, fast-moving song in which Charlie played his fiddle numerous times throughout the song. I believe Ann said that he used three different bows over the course of this one song.I don’t know if that’s the norm for him each time he plays this song or what, but he was quite amazing to watch. Seeing this man, with his thick, white beard and cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes, perform with such grace and passion, even at his age was such a treat. Of course, this one song and his fiddle-playing within are so well known to most people who have heard of him, but it is something else to say that you were just a few feet away watching him play this song to a packed theater. That was Ann and I and it was amazing!
Whether you like rock, country or something else, this guy plays the kind of music he could make, seemingly, anyone like because he is so passionate about it and knows how to make beautiful music. This was our first time seeing him but there is a good chance Ann and I will go see him if he ever comes back to Connecticut.
On the other hand,the band that played before the CDB, the Allman Betts Band, wasn’t nearly impressive, not that I was surprised.