It’s been two years since the music community felt the loss of country’s “Gentle Giant”, Don Williams. The singer, who began his career as part of a folk group in the 1960’s, scored 17 #1s during the 70s and 80s as a solo artist and achieved worldwide success with dedicated fan bases as far away as Africa, England, and New Zealand. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, Williams was known for his smooth bass-baritone voice and calm, welcoming demeanor when performing timeless songs about love, loss, and hope. Even in the wake of his untimely death, his relevance still continues as 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of his #1 hits “It Must Be Love” and “Love Me All Over Again”.
And on Halloween night, the music of Don Williams was brought to life by the triumphant sounds of the Nashville Symphony and Don Williams himself. For the first time in country music history, modern day technology was able to seamlessly combine old concert footage with the live offerings from the orchestra, as if he were actually in the room. A 25 foot wide TV screen hung center stage, showcasing some of Williams’ previously recorded shows from Africa, Ireland, and Branson. The years ranged from the 1980s to 2014. Keith Urban, serving as the show’s curator, appeared onscreen before both sets to convey how much Williams meant to him and to the entire country music family. The talented pool of musicians, led by five members of his original band, played new beautiful arrangements of Williams’ best work, led by Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez. Songs like “Lay Down Beside Me”, “Amanda,” “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good”, “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”, and “Louisiana Saturday Night” filled the state of the art room to a delighted audience of fans, friends, and prominent industry reps.
Even though The Gentle Giant was backed by his band in the original video, the audio was silenced so that all you heard was his voice matching the orchestra. The timing was impeccable. The clarity of the sound and video left the room awestruck at the magic of current technology. The two separate acts became one and balanced each other out perfectly. No one out did the other. If you closed your eyes, you would think he was standing center stage with his guitar, singing for his fans. The endearing and soft facial expressions of Williams would have you believing that he was in tune with the orchestra and listening to them play on the parts he wasn’t singing.
And being that this is Nashville, no show is complete without special guests. Icons Trace Adkins and Tracy Lawrence, both heavily influenced by Williams in their own careers, graced the stage, once in each act, performing Don Williams classics. And they’re not the only ones. The three day show featured songwriter extraordinaire Victoria Shaw (“The River”) on November 1 and Eric Pasley on the 2nd. Sara Evans was set to attend the last night of the run but cancelled due to illness. The audience still received quite the surprise though when Keith Urban himself showed up Saturday night to watch the show he curated.
Really wanting to provide a unique experience for ticket buyers, the production and promotion teams also provided memorabilia to be displayed in the East lobby. During intermission, guests flooded out to see his CMHOF Medallion, two record plaques, two jackets he wore, and one of his most beloved Gibson guitars. His famous tan cowboy hat, one of only two made, sat on a chair center stage as further display of love and respect. Parked outside the Symphony Center was his original 1971 MCI tour bus, nicknamed “Gypsy Lady”, which carried him from show to show until his retirement.
A montage of pictures flowed across the screen in the beginning and the end. The audience was so spellbound even when the show was over and the house lights rose that they all stood in their aisles, just watching the pictures. Or perhaps they were closing their eyes, remembering exactly where they were when they heard a Don Williams song for the first time. His songs don’t age and his voice certainly never did. And thanks to shows like this, his memory will be around for years to come.
Photos from the evening courtesy of 2911 Media: