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Last Friday night, the country rock band Big & Rich came to Holt Arena in Pocatello. By all accounts, the concert was a success, very well attended, an energetic performance from the opening act, Cowboy Troy, and from Big & Rich.

The sound in Holt Arena is notoriously bad, but this concert must have had one of the best sound technicians to date. The light show was a bit hard on the eyes, especially when those blazing white lights were shined in the eyes of the audience. Several times after the lights moved away, all I could see were purple blotches on the stage from my burned retinas.

Midway through the concert, Big Kenny brought a small young man from the audience up onto the stage. I don’t know how old the boy was, but I expect he was 6 or 7 years old. Kenny had a brief conversation with the boy, and that young man did a terrific job! He seemed to know all the words to the songs and briefly sang along with the band. Everyone loves a fan whose years only number in the single digits. The band gave the boy a commemorative guitar. Kudos to Big & Rich for that.

Towards the end of the concert, John Rich announced that the band would hang out at the legendary Pocatello country bar, The Green T, after the concert. He’d heard that the bar had a mechanical bull, and Rich invited any willing ladies to enter a bull-riding contest at the bar. The winner would receive airfare and accommodations to the band’s concert the following night in Las Vegas, to see the show as guests of the band.

So, about half of Pocatello turned up at The Green T. I’d like to take a moment to introduce the house band that night. Battery Park Country plays classic country and top 40 country with a little classic rock thrown in too.

Formed in 2003, Battery Park Country consists of five members: Susan Greenwell, vocals; Devon Breshears, guitar, vocals; Rick Scott, keyboards, vocals; Al Kuta, bass; and Bob Daulton, drums, vocals.

Greenwell is a Pocatello native who began singing in church choirs and later performed with a local group called Double Take. Breshears, born in Phoenix and now residing in Blackfoot, started performing as a teenager and at 19 began a decade of performing in the western states. Recruited to perform with the Bellamy Brothers, he traveled throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan. Breshears is one of the best country guitar players I’ve seen anywhere.

Daulton began playing drums at the age of 12 with his father’s band in the Green Triangle, and he hasn’t stopped since. In 1971 he enlisted in the air force and traveled the world playing clubs and cruise ships, returning to Pocatello in 1987. Daulton is an incredibly talented drummer, and as any musician would tell you, a great drummer makes the band.

Kuta is a Pocatello native with extensive touring performances. He has performed in the Los Angeles area at clubs, recording studios, and on television with Tina Turner. Scott began performing in High School as a solo act and then with numerous bands in night clubs, fairs and festivals throughout the United States, from New Orleans to Bakersfield and ultimately in Pocatello, where he has been active the local music scene for the past 10 yrs.

And now this iconic Pocatello country band can add to its resume, “We’ve shared the stage with Big & Rich.” Or at least, they can say that they’ve been the backing band for John Rich, who got on stage at the Green T for an encore song.

And what happened to the bull-riding contest winner? Here’s where the story gets good. Several ladies climbed up on that bull and rode it for what they were worth. About five finalists made it through the first round, and the audience helped to choose the winner, a young lady named Devon Johnson.

Ms. Johnson contacted me on Monday to report on her exciting Big & Rich trip to Las Vegas. Only it didn’t happen! Somebody in the Big & Rich tour management dropped the ball and did not contact her about where to be when. At the moment of this writing, you can be sure that this commentary columnist has several phone calls and emails flying around Nashville to make sure Big & Rich does right by our Pocatello bull-riding winner.

Tune in next week for more on this unfolding drama.

L Alexander

slowloosegravel@yahoo.com

www.myspace.com/showmetheband