State Fair Grandstand review: Hank Williams Jr. offers something like a memoir in music

Maybe it had something to do with a bout with illness that led to the cancellation of his the greater part new concerts but Hank Williams Jr arrived at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Wednesday night seemingly in a reflective mood The artist dubbed Bocephus by his legendary father leaned heavily upon his dad s legacy and his own reputation for fusing country with southern rock Yet he decided to do specific storytelling too Williams seized an opportunity to honor his ancestors spinning tales of his childhood encounters with such mentors as Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis and invoking the name of Johnny Cash more than once dropping in a bit of I Walk the Line and pointing out that June Carter Cash was his godmother Related Articles Concert review Was Def Leppard worth a record a ticket at the Grandstand State Fair Grandstand review The Happy Together tour summons up the s yet again Rapper Playboi Carti to headline Xcel Strength Center in October Concert review Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge rev up the State Fair Grandstand Review Minnesota State Fairgrounds hosts a high-energy hip-hop fest once again And while he did pump up the adrenaline levels for the crowd of with rocked-up takes on his father s Move It On Over and Mind Your Own Business this show proved most of memorable when he let the band leave the stage and mixed stories with his songs in a solo setting Such as a stint at a baby grand piano for Domino s version of his father s Your Cheatin Heart and a summoning of Lewis manic spirit on Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On Add a lengthy stint at center stage with only an acoustic guitar and microphone and you have a pretty darn satisfying concert that bore a valedictory feel a sense that if this is his last time at the fair Williams craved to be remembered as part of an ongoing legacy in both country and rock and roll And he s among those who spliced the two genres to which he nodded when his seven-piece band joined him for a mid-concert rave-up with extended quotes from Lynyrd Skynyrd s Gimme Three Actions and ZZ Top s Waitin for the Bus Even amid all the reflective fare it served to remind the audience that Williams ascertained stardom more as a rocking rowdy than a balladeer He picked a tough act to follow when asking Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives to open for him Stuart and Williams are both part of the Country Hall of Fame s class of and if anyone thought Williams set a little too low-key they could make no such complaint about Stuart and company Mixing Bakersfield twang rockabilly surf rock Byrds-esque jangly guitar pop and a few breathtaking bluegrass with Stuart tearing it up on mandolin it might have been the the majority exciting set the Grandstand has hosted in several years that fell under the broad umbrella of country