Analysis/Opinion:
Long before the “rock stars of bluegrass” Dailey & Vincent took to the stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia, this weekend, you knew it wasn’t going to be your usual contemporary concert.
No pie-eyed “woo!” girls pushing their way to the front of the auditorium. No clouds of sweet-smelling pot wafting over the audience. No reports of violence and mayhem in the next day’s papers.
And when the capacity crowd stood facing a movie screen-size American flag at the front of the stage and sang “America the Beautiful,” it was clear this show would be something very different.
The more than 1,000 patrons who stood in a line that snaked along the front of the arts center were friendly and patient, despite a 30-minute delay that left them shivering in the evening air. Even those who had to scramble for general admission seats were gracious as they waited for ushers to guide them into the venue, a sumptuous theater featuring dark wood and plush box seats.
On this night, the center sported a host of extra lights and crane-held cameras that continually maneuvered from the stage to the audience on the main level and higher tiers.
The lushness of the Hylton arts center exemplified why the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass duo selected the venue to record their Saturday and Sunday night performances for their upcoming live DVD/CD, scheduled for release in the spring with an accompanying TV broadcast.
“We have performed there a few times, and the minute we walked in, we said, ’You know what? This is the place to do a live DVD,” Darrin Vincent told The Washington Times before the show. “The folks in this area love the music that we do. They are really enthusiastic. We told our management [to] try to do everything to make this happen, and we’re finally doing it.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that during Saturday’s four-hour concert, Washington, D.C., may have reclaimed the title “Bluegrass Capital of America” — which it proudly held in the 1950s and 1960s.
Nattily dressed in dark gray suits, Mr. Vincent and Jamie Dailey were accompanied by 11 elegantly attired musicians, the 50-piece George Mason University Symphony Orchestra and the Manassas Chorale and members of the George Mason University Singers, which added about 100 voices to the encore.
Don Reid, the retired lead singer of the Statler Brothers, set the evening’s tone with his introduction. After receiving a standing ovation, he turned the spotlight on the headliners.
“I am honored and happy to be here,” Mr. Reid said, noting the 2010 album and tour “Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers.” “I never realized what a good show we had until I saw them do it!”
With accompanying vocals provided by bandmates Jeff Parker and Christian Davis, Mr. Dailey and Mr. Vincent performed passionate renditions of Statler Brothers’ classics, including “Oh Baby Mine,” “Don’t Wait on Me” and “Elizabeth,” the last of which inspired a collective intake of breath from the crowd that broke into cheers.
It was an evening filled with high points despite delays that required refilming due to mispronounced words, broken strings and missed cues — all of which the audience seemed to love.
The duo’s self-deprecating humor — which included Mr. Dailey mopping his forehead with a white sweater offered by an audience member and joking that they would never be invited to host country awards shows, and Mr. Vincent shrieking and jumping in self-mocking glee — was as well received as their music.
Special mention must be made of the band’s fiddler, B.J. Cherryholmes, whose fiddle-playing sister Molly joined the group for this concert. The siblings, part of the Grammy-nominated band Cherryholmes, displayed amazing wizardry — including a crouched-duel performance of Mr. Cherryholmes’ self-penned song “The Nine Yards.”
Still, it was Dailey & Vincent’s performances of their own songs — from “Cross Over to the Other Side of Jordan” to “American Pride” — that won the fans’ heartfelt applause.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mr. Vincent told the crowd, wiping away a tear as he spoke of how much their support has meant to him and Mr. Dailey. “I am very emotional tonight.”
You won’t see any fan-posted photographic evidence, but trust me, the emotion was pure — and he wasn’t alone in feeling it.
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