The result Saturday was a mix of hits and deep-catalog obscurities such as the high lonesome "Hills of Caroline" and the hilarious honky-tonk rave-up "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night." Gill seemed open to trying almost any request the crowd threw at him, even going so far as doing a snippet of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," after initially declining with the quip that Parton doesn't do any of his songs in her concerts, either.
The stripped-down setup resulted in a show that was heavier on Gill's ballad side, from his pop material ("I Still Believe in You," "When I Call Your Name," which he did solo) to hard country fare (the killer cheatin' song "Pocket Full of Gold," "What You Give Away"). There was a bit of gospel, too, with a gorgeous reading of "Go Rest High on That Mountain," and the gospel-like, with his reverent, bittersweet remembrance of his father, "The Key to Life."
But Gill couldn't do a show that was entirely devoid of the up-tempo. He's as much a picker as a singer (he joked that he never envisioned becoming a singer until he discovered in high school that girls liked boys who sing), and he did a handful of the songs he characterized as written mainly to play guitar to, including "What the Cowgirls Do" and "Liza Jane," both of which proved that characterization via smoking, extended electric guitar solos.
Except for length (again more than two hours) and a few of the same stories (you know a man is a good storyteller when you hear him spinning the same tales you've heard at previous shows, and he still makes you laugh), it made for a far different performance than his last visit. But the evening showed, once again, that whether playing fast or slow, in front of a grandiose big band or the sparest of outfits, Gill remains a masterful singer, songwriter, musician, and entertainer.
