tootoo52

Comfortable Boots A suspenseful two-minute countdown kicked off Alan Jackson's set Friday night, but despite the theatrics, there's nothing too dramatic about the country superstar. The boots-up, beer-up boy next door is as relaxed as they come, and his turn at the Tacoma Dome showed off his knack for kicking back.Now nearly 20 years into his successful career, Jackson is clearly comfortable on top. His amiable stage presence never feels forced, his storytelling is straight from the heart, and his songs are tight without being slick.Jackson gave his band plenty of room to stretch out, with instrumental breaks in most songs. But he stayed true to his new-traditional country sound, flipping into honky tonk occasionally and only once deviating into bluegrass. Jackson said he hadn't intended to play the song, but his raw bluegrass cover of Steve Young's Seven Bridges Road (a song also performed by the Eagles) was one of the evenings most memorable.Jackson brought out a fair share of his own ballads, mostly about love, and paired them all with videos . The visuals were dynamic, but the schmaltz factor was high: a beautiful girl riding her white horse in the surf? C'mon. But Jackson has the uncanny ability to make even the most maudlin lyrics heartfelt and touching.And not all of the videos were sappy. A montage of Tacoma landmarks during "Where I Come From" got the crowd cheering for local bars and army men.Keeping spirits high seems important for Jackson. He married his high school sweetheart and they're still together; he's definitely not a tear in my beer country singer. His songs reflect idyllic American values: falling in love young and staying together, the importance of family, patriotism, God and simple, small town life.And the feel-good singer is also up for, you know, feeling good. Appropriate since his new album is called "Good Time."The man known for claiming Its Five O'clock Somewhere got the crowd revved up for the pre-encore finale with a stretch of honky tonk tunes about letting loose.Backed by his nine-piece band The Strayhorns, Jackson can pick up the tempo no problem, and his rhythm section drove home boot stompers like "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "Chattahoochee." But he's more at home at a slower pace. He ended the night with "Pop a Top" and unceremoniously headed off stage.Up-and-comer Miranda Lambert opened the show. Her set started a bit low energy, but worked up into a dynamo one-two punch with "Dry Town" and "Gunpowder & Lead." As she let loose, backed by some straight up rock dudes, mohawks and all, Lambert showed off some seriously sassy show-woman-ship.