Clint Black
Riverside Casino and Resort • Riverside, Iowa • December 8, 2023
by Jeremy Glazier
The Riverside Casino and Resort recently hosted a true legend of country music, Clint Black. The sold-out event center was packed with hardcore fans of the musician, and even before they stepped on stage the energy throughout the crowd was electrifying as I walked through. This rescheduled 2020 concert was well worth the wait, as a Clint Black concert is packed with fantastic music, lighting, and displays that give the feeling of a two-hour music video.
As the band takes the stage, the evening springs to life while the video screen backdrop displays perfectly timed photos and videos of Clint through the years. They start with “The Shoes You’re Wearin,” “Summer’s Coming,” “When My Ship Comes In,” and “Untanglin’ My Mind,” which was co-written with Merle Haggard. Clint and the band also treat the audience to “Mama Tried,” as Clint impersonates Merle with dangerous accuracy. As I stop taking photos and settle into just enjoying the show, I’m struck by the fact that while I’m a fan and familiar with most of Clint Black’s discography, the entire room spends most of the night singing along with all the songs from the hits to some of Clint’s deeper cuts.
Clint’s lineup of musicians is also spectacular, with longtime friend and lead guitar player Hayden Nichols. Jason Mowery is on fiddle and dobro, Jake Willemain on bass, Dwain Rowe on piano, Andy Hall on drums, and Clint’s cousin, Wes Fowler, on pedal steel. They absolutely nail each and every song and work their way through the extensive catalog with “State Of Mind,” “Straight From The Factory,” “Nothing’s News,” “Nobody’s Home,” and “Killin’ Time.” The audience continues the singalong with his 1996 hit “Like The Rain” before a fun version of “We Tell Ourselves,” where the entire band gets an opportunity to stretch their legs and take turns at the solo spotlight. Just before the encore, Clint does a tribute to another longtime friend and legend that he expertly impersonates, in a twist on Waylon Jennings’ “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” with “Are You Sure Waylon Done It This Way,” before they perform the 1997 hit “Nothin’ But The Taillights.”
Clint and the band take the stage again for the encore with the Steve Warnier co-written song “Been There,” before the finale of the night, “Tuckered Out.” That song is a classic name drop to a ton of artists, with the chorus alone naming 12 as follows: “I’m Haggard, worn and Waylon from the bottom of my Restless Heart. Don’t know Wy the Black cloud’s tailin’ me, there seems to be no Parton from the dark. And I’ve had it to the Gills of knowin’ what the Nitty Gritty’s all about. Bein’ McEntired and Loveless I can’t Lovett if I’m all Tuckered out.”
The entire evening is a master class in what country music, entertainment, and fun is all about, and Clint Black and his band do it with effortless intent. Clint continues to record music, tour, and now has a fantastic TV show called Talking In Circles, where he interviews friends an peers in the industry. Follow along with Black’s social media or his website to see what this legendary artists has up his sleeve next.
