It was a Good Night for the Outlaw...

Have you ever gone to a concert, and had a realization that the band or singer you were watching was bigger than the crowd, the venue, and the world even realizes? Friday night was one of those nights. I went home to La Crosse, Wisconsin to open for one of the most accomplished songwriters in the history of country music- Jeffrey Steele.

Maybe you know who he is, and maybe you don’t, but you know his songs. See, Jeffrey was the mind and pen behind “Hell Yeah”, “My Town”, “Something to be Proud Of”, “Speed”, and “Gone” for Montgomery Gentry. The words and music to Tim McGraw’s “The Cowboy in Me” and Faith Hill’s “When the Lights go Down” came from his pen, and his guitar. Mark Wills’ recent comeback was fueled by two songs- “And the Crowd Goes Wild”, and “Nineteen Somethin’”. Both of which are Steele songs. Van Zant’s “Help Somebody”, and Rascall Flatts’ “These Days”- I could literally fill this entire post by listing off the 200+ songs Steele has written for other artists. But that wouldn’t do justice to the man I am going to tell you about- Jeffrey Steele, the recording artist and performer.

I was nervous as hell. I took the stage at Loons on La Crosse at 9p.m., following a great intro from COW97 DJ Arnie Andrews. I busted through 45 minutes of old originals, new originals, and some of my favorite covers. Sweat beaded down my face every time I started another original song. After all, one of the greatest songwriters of all time was right outside the door, listening in for all I knew! The crowd was the kind you dream about. They all knew what was coming, and that made it very easy to open the show. I looked up at the giant clock on the wall at Loons, when I finished my set. It was 10 minutes to 10, and time for me to go. I thanked everybody, and stepped off.

About 5-10 minutes passed, as I walked through the crowd saying hi to old friends and making new ones. Rob from COW took the stage and introduced Steele to the crowd. We all knew we were in for a treat, but I don’t think any of us expected what we got. He hit the stage like a road-seasoned veteran- confident, ready, loving what he did. The dance floor was full instantly. He trucked on, through a number of his songs that made other people household names. He played tracks from his own albums, “Outlaw”, “Somethin’ in the Water”, and “You Gotta Start Somewhere”. But it wasn’t so much “what” he played. It was how he did it.

I stood there in awe, watching one of the greatest country music show I had ever seen. Smiling the whole while he switched between his acoustic, his electric and a harmonica he tore through first 1 hour, then an hour and a half. Halfway through, he called me back on stage to do a song with him. As he approached 2 hours folks on the dance floor began to tire out, but he kept going. More than 2.5 hours later he ended his show. But that wasn’t the end of it.

He came directly down to a table to the side of the stage to sign autographs and take pictures with every single person who was still there from the 200+ person crowd. He did it with a smile, carrying on conversations with all of them, asking their names, and answering any questions they had. He didn’t rush anyone off. After the crowd thinned out, I was still there with a few radio folks and a few friends. He talked with me for over a half hour about songwriting, the business, and was extremely complementary of my drive. It was nearly 2a.m. when I left the club that night- almost 4 hours after he took the stage.

Some of you might say “Well, I have seen other artists do that, big deal.” I doubt you will find another artist, with the credentials of Steele (he was awarded in 2003 for having over 17 million spins on country radio), who travels without a road manager (just him and his band), plays as long as he does, and spends that much time with his fans. And to top it off? Friday night was Jeffrey Steele’s birthday. No one would have been surprised if he had played for an hour and a half, signed a few autographs, and walked out the door. But he surprised us all, by coming in to Loons on La Crosse with no pretenses, no ego, and one of the greatest country music performances I will ever see in my life.

Halfway through the show, it hit me. I looked over at my friend and said, “Do you realize that we are watching a future member of the country music hall of fame?" Mark my words. What this guy has done for country music as a writer makes him a legend. What he is doing as a performer makes him a damn good guy. Check out a Steele show when you get a chance. You’ll see what I mean…