Monday night at UC Davis' Mondavi Center, Merle Haggard addressed students in the crowd who might wonder why he wrote "Okie From Muskogee," the 1969 hit viewed as a red-blooded American anthem by some and as a kind of parody by others.
"I was the only one who knew all the words," Haggard said by way of mock explanation. "Plus, it needed to be written."
That last line was such nonsense that Haggard cracked up right after he delivered it. Yet he also had made his point:
The musical icon, still touring after lung-cancer surgery last year, wasn't about to delve into his politics from 40 years ago. Monday's show instead was about Haggard's music, his camaraderie with his multi-generational band, The Strangers, and just fooling around.
It was an approach befitting a performer of his seasoned status. Or, as Haggard told the crowd, "I wrote most of these songs in my 20s. And here I am in my 50s!"
Haggard is actually 72, and still possessed of a genius for phrasing and a baritone that on Monday night sounded time- and life-tested and all the more interesting for it.
Most of Haggard's songs never seemed like the work of a young man, anyway, colored as they are, regardless of the year in which they were written, by plenty of life experience. Rousing numbers such as "Workin' Man Blues" and "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," therefore, lose nothing with age, and ballads such as "Kern River" are only enhanced by it.
With its lyrics about a loved one swept away by that "mean piece of water" running near Haggard's hometown of Bakersfield, the sparely arranged "Kern River" took on an especially haunting quality Monday night. One's hometown, after all, carries more ghosts with it than any other town.
Mostly, however, the scene on stage was a celebratory one, with Haggard, band leader Norman Hamlet -- magic on the pedal steel -- and other veteran musicians joined by Haggard's wife and backup singer, Theresa, and the couple's 17-year-old guitarist son, Benion, who brought a hint of funk to his solos.
Haggard also tipped his hat -- black, to match his fringed jacket -- to younger generations with his opening acts. The understated Noel Lee Haggard, Merle's son from his first marriage, was followed by the wonderfully showy Malpass Brothers.
A young North Carolina duo sporting pompadours, a love for old-school country and a humorous approach right in line with that of the headliner, Chris and Taylor Malpass delighted a mostly middle-aged and older crowd that easily could recall a time when "traditional country" was just plain "country."
Younger fans in the audience made themselves known during Haggard's set with whoops and cries of "We love you, Merle!" Older fans clamored for the hits, especially "Muskogee."
Haggard complied at the end of the evening, urging audience members to pretend, upon hearing the word "marijuana" in "Muskogee," that it still shocked them. The crowd played along enthusiastically and gave Haggard a standing ovation at song's end.
Calls for an encore, however, went unheeded. Haggard already had bid the Jackson Hall audience good night, and in this instance, he meant exactly what he said.
Call The Bee's Carla Meyer, (916) 321-1118
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