Maybe it had something to do with a bout with illness that led to the cancellation of his most recent concerts, but Hank Williams Jr. arrived at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Wednesday night seemingly in a reflective mood. The artist dubbed “Bocephus” by his legendary father leaned heavily upon his dad’s legacy and his own reputation for fusing country with southern rock. Yet he decided to do some storytelling, too.
Williams seized an opportunity to honor his ancestors, spinning tales of his childhood encounters with such mentors as Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, and invoking the name of Johnny Cash more than once, dropping in a bit of “I Walk the Line” and pointing out that June Carter Cash was his godmother.
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And, while he did pump up the adrenaline levels for the crowd of 7,331 with rocked-up takes on his father’s “Move It On Over” and “Mind Your Own Business,” this show proved most memorable when he let the band leave the stage and mixed stories with his songs in a solo setting.
Such as a stint at a baby grand piano for Domino’s version of his father’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and a summoning of Lewis’ manic spirit on “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Add a lengthy stint at center stage with only an acoustic guitar and microphone and you have a pretty darn satisfying concert that bore a valedictory feel, a sense that, if this is his last time at the fair, Williams wanted to be remembered as part of an ongoing legacy in both country and rock and roll.
And he’s among those who spliced the two genres, to which he nodded when his seven-piece band joined him for a mid-concert rave-up with extended quotes from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” and ZZ Top’s “Waitin’ for the Bus.” Even amid all the reflective fare, it served to remind the audience that Williams found stardom more as a rocking rowdy than a balladeer.
He picked a tough act to follow when asking Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives to open for him. Stuart and Williams are both part of the Country Hall of Fame’s class of 2020, and – if anyone thought Williams’ set a little too low-key – they could make no such complaint about Stuart and company.
Mixing Bakersfield twang, rockabilly, surf rock, Byrds-esque jangly guitar pop and some breathtaking bluegrass with Stuart tearing it up on mandolin, it might have been the most exciting set the Grandstand has hosted in several years that fell under the broad umbrella of country.
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