Nowhere but Nashville. Ten years after Michael Jackson made his first concert appearance after his dead at the Las Vegas Billboard Awards, the Baby Boomer generation had a similar experience at the Nashville Symphony on Halloween weekend, the opportunity to see an almost-live performance of the late Don Williams, known as County Music’s Gentle Giant.
In a three-nights-only presentation at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Don Williams sang for the Nashville audience via enhanced video footage of his performances over the years, curated by Keith Urban, as members of Williams’ band played, backed by the Nashville Symphony.
Regular Schermerhorn audiences are familiar with the symphony’s accompaniment of film—from Harry Potterto Home Aloneand Star Wars.However, as Enrico Lopez-Yanez, the Symphony’s pops conductor pointed out, Williams never performed with an orchestra during his career. He credited Jim Gray with all the orchestral arrangements of the country star’s hits from more than three decades.
This multi-layered presentation showcased what the symphony does best–top quality music and sound. With so many venues around town where the instruments overpower the vocals, the clear sound quality of the performance footage of Don Williams remained the focus of the evening. The seamless addition of the symphony gave the impression that Williams was playing on stage in the same room.
The evening opened with Keith Urban discussing the project, explaining his own introduction to Williams’ music when he was twelve. The film footage showcased Williams’ visits around the world, including Africa, where he was the first country music singer to perform.
The evening included many of Don Williams’ best-loved songs, beginning with “Good Old Boys Like Me” and ending the night with the rollicking “Louisiana Saturday Night.” The first half of the evening included “Heartbeat in the Darkness” and “Amanda,” and “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend.”
Each night the symphony included singers who had performed with Williams. Special guests Trace Adkins and Tracy Lawrence played Thursday. Friday’s performance featured singer-songwriter Victorian Shaw, who had opened for Williams and his band. She mentioned her own hit “The River,” co-written with Garth Brooks and said she chose one of Don Williams’ river songs—“Til the Rivers All Run Dry.” She returned in the second half of the evening to sing “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good.” Tonight’s closing performance will feature Sara Evans and Eric Paslay/
During intermission, when the audience was invited to view memorabilia in the lobby—Williams’ platinum albums, his jackets and guitar, and his plaque commemorating his induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Then second half opened the symphony playing a teaser of “Tulsa Time” and with additional footage of Keith Urban sharing more of the history of Williams’ career and announcing a “time jump” to some of the iconic singer’s later performances, singing “From Now On,” and the poignant “She Never Knew Me at All.” He followed with “If Hollywood Don’t Need You (Honey I Still Do),” his 13thnumber one hit that spend 11 weeks on the charts.
While there wasn’t enough time for all of Don Williams’ biggest hits, the night would have been incomplete without “I Believe in You” and then “Tulsa Time.” Enrico Lopez-Yanez acknowledged the audience singing along and suggested they do the same on the next song, “You’re My Best Friend,” pointing out the songwriter Waylon Holyfield in the audience. In the concert footage of the song, that audience was singing every word, catching Williams by surprise as he stopped to listen to them, visibly moved. This experience made the night’s special performance feel even more like real time. The clip closed with the singer’s deep, smooth voice saying, “Thank every single one of you for coming.”
After the final song, as the audience began exiting the symphony auditorium, Don Williams’ unmistakable voice was heard again saying, “Y’all be good to each other,” good advice as the crowd emptied onto the streets and sidewalks of downtown Nashville just as the Avett Brothers concert ended at Bridgestone just up the street.