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Dwight Yoakam digs up classics for a two-stepping crowd at Gas Monkey Live

Looking especially spry for a guy just a couple years short of 60, Dwight Yoakam delivered old school country and rock like a pro Friday night at Gas Monkey Live. In his trademark large hat and rhinestone-encrusted suit, Yoakam played hit after hit to a packed house of well inebriated fans who never hesitated to show their love for the pioneering artist.

Channeling Hank Williams, Buck Owens and even Bob Dylan, Yoakam continues to display the captivating amalgam of Americana, folk and blues that is still a wonder to behold some 30 years after he burst onto the scene in the early '80s. Although his vocals came off a bit tired and remote, his innate flair (buoyed by a youthful backing band) always shined through.

Beginning with "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" and quickly transitioning into "Little Sister" and "Streets of Bakersfield," Yoakam showed that he didn't mind traversing his impressive back catalogue instead of concentrating on songs from the recently released album Second Hand Heart. While the new album is one of his best — indeed the title tune proved to be one of the fieriest performances of this evening -— Yoakam knows that fan favorites such as "Little Ways" and "Fast as You" are his bread and butter.

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What is great about Yoakam is that songs both old and new stand up to repeated scrutiny. When he covers a song, he makes it his own. When he writes and performs a song from his debut album like "It Won't Hurt," the effect is equally devastating. The ghost of the late, great Gram Parsons would surely be pleased as Yoakam gleefully blurs the lines that separate country, rock and soul. Yoakam's vision is beyond easy categorization. At times Friday night, his voice resembled the drunken cacophony of Paul Westerberg as the band raged on like vintage Replacements.

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Of course the audience two-stepped through it all, seemingly oblivious to the greatness that was happening on stage. They hooted and hollered at the proper moments and hoisted their beers when their home city was dutifully mentioned. Yoakam acknowledged them like the consummate professional that he has become. Yet there is something wildly alive in what Dwight Yoakam possesses, some secret history in the songs that his sings. Yoakam evokes a time when the likes of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins ruled the radio, a better time when country music was honest and extreme.

Bands as diverse as Hüsker Dü and Uncle Tupelo (and locally the Old 97's and Slobberbone) owe a debt to Yoakam, and he spelled out that debt Friday night in Dallas. Looking like Gram Parsons is one thing. Furthering the man's legacy is quite another. Without the slightest nod to the banalities of current country music, Dwight Yoakam continues to be his own man. Yoakam's gift is special and it was apparent all evening that his music will continue to be vital for many years to come.

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By Darryl Smyers