Garner Citizen News & Times - Garner, North Carolina December 19, 2007

The Legends of Country Music Show Is a Hit!

By: Marti Hall
Contributing Writer

People say there are no fans like country music fans and Saturday night, December 15. Diane Bailey of Garner had a whole auditorium full of them kept in rapt attention for two and a half hours. In spite of the much needed but cold, steady rain, Garner Historic Auditorium received a packed house crowd for the Lady Legends of Country music Christmas Show performed by Bailey for the first time in her hometown of Garner. Even with the chilly dampness outside the doors to the packed auditorium, the audience warmly received the opening acts, but it was Bailey they really came to support. Her son, Dayle Eason, served as emcee and casually welcomed the crowd as if he were sitting in their living rooms with them. They engaged in the friendly banter right back at him they needed no warm up for the night of familiar Christmas and country music. The first singer of the evening was 2008 Miss Garner, Amanda Watson wearing a striking red velvet halter gown with sequin trim, performing “O Holy Night.” She was followed by Bailey’s youngest granddaughter, Abbi Satter, 9, who charmed the crowd with “Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer.” Abbi is recently the Overall Miss Gaston County. The next singer was another one of Bailey’s granddaughter’s, Erica Eason, 11, sounding older than her tender years while she performed a Dolly Parton tune, Hard Candy Christmas.

Then it was time for Bailey to take command of the stage. She set the nostalgic tone for the evening with the first song she ever recorded for a major record label in 1960, written by her friend J.B. Ellington, called “Give Me Your Heart for Christmas.” He was in the audience and after the song she summoned him to the stage for a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said the show was dedicated to him. She had the audience in the palm of her hand from the beginning when she continued with some songs from the ‘60’s by Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn. While she was off stage for a costume change, Dayle Eason kept the mood up-beat with some Conway Twitty tunes then sang a duet with his mom called “Feelings” in a Conway and Loretta Lynn style. She transitioned to a couple of Christmas songs including one by the late Karen Carpenter. Then It was Dayle’s turn again with an Elvis Presley rendition of “Blue Christmas” and Please Come Home for Christmas in a Bon Jovi style, which might have been unfamiliar to most of the audience but added a little rock and roll to the night of country hits.

When Diane came onstage again she took the audience on a stroll down memory lane with some Tammy Wynette hits. Then she stepped down to the floor level to sit on some steps with children from the audience and sang to them like a grandmother. Her voice was as sweet as a nighttime lullaby as she hugged the children and sang, “The Christmas Song” made famous by Nat King Cole. She passed the microphone from child to child while asking them what makes Christmas so special to them. Several children said being with family and the birthday of Jesus was what Christmas meant to them.

While Bailey made another quick exit for a costume change, again, her son Dayle made some announcements. When Diane reappeared, she was wearing a snow white gown with a sheer shawl and sang “Mary, Did You Know?” as a dry ice effect misted around her. She ended the first half of the show with “Silent Night” sung a capella. During intermission, Santa Claus greeted children in the lobby and gifted them with candy canes.

The second half of the show was the tribute it seemed the audience had really come to see. When Bailey announced before intermission that she had to go get Patsy-fied she wasn’t kidding, the transformation included going from blonde to brunette via a wig and dressing in 1960’s style stage clothes with plenty of sequins. While the audience showed appreciation of her legends numbers in the first half, they were holding back with the real adoration for the Patsy Cline portion of the show. Bailey took the stage transformed into the famous singer she met in 1961, sounding and looking amazingly like her. She said that meeting lit a fire of dedication for Patsy to perform her songs so she would not be forgotten. She opened the tribute with “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” She said Cline was the first lady in country music to have a cross over hit that started on the country charts and moved to pop, with the hit “Walking After Midnight.” She continued to please the audience with several more Patsy Cline hits as she moved through a time line of Cline’s singing career, changing costumes and making a wig change. Then she explained how Cline’s life and career came to a tragic and untimely end in 1963 when she died in a plane crash while trying to return home from a benefit performance. She was just a few months shy of her 30th birthday. Bailey sang the last song performed in public by Cline “I’ll Be Loving You, Always.” It visibly moved the audience with emotion.

While Dayle explained more of the details of Cline’s untimely plane crash and death, Bailey made another costume and wig change. When the curtained opened, Bailey was standing on a pedestal wearing a glittering silver gown with white chiffon overlay representing Patsy Cline as she might appear coming back from the great beyond. She sang probably the best known song by Cline, “Sweet Dreams.” After the song, she stepped off the pedestal and expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the audience for their support, and to the crew and staff who helps organize her signature shows. More information about Diane Bailey can be seen on her website at www.dianebailey.net or at
www.thunder-productions.net.

This concert was promoted by Thunder & Lighting Concert Productions and Don Christopher Kassay..