Mark Chesnutt (September 1, 2011)

Headliner: Mark Chesnutt

Date: September 1, 2011

Venue: Bar of Ranch (Clinton, Ark.)

True country music is certainly hard to find these days, but thanks to Mark Chesnutt the Bar of Ranch temporarily turned into a honky tonk at the National Championship Chuckwagon Races in Clinton on Thursday night (Sept. 1).

Chesnutt, who is simply one of the most underrated male vocalists in country music history, performed an acoustic set with a group of bandmates for about 90 minutes in front of the packed crowd hungering to hear some real country music.

Chesnutt who debuted on the country music scene in 1990 with his album “Too Cold at Home” has had eight number one country hits and over 30 top 40 charting singles in his two decade long career.

The Beaumont, Texas native kicked off his set with one of his most recognizable classics and number one hit from 1996 “It’s a Little Too Late.” Following the song that instantly had much of the crowd tapping their feet he performed his country-rocker and fan favorite “Bubba Shot the Jukebox” before slowing it down a little bit with his first ever number one from 1990, “Brother Jukebox.”

Chesnutt’s brand of traditional honky tonk sounding country music sure put the crowd in the mood as they both shouted requests and offered Chesnutt free booze – everything from beer to mysterious liquor in a jar. Chesnutt must have downed five or six free Coors, Milwaukee’s Best and almost anything else he was handed, saying he never turned down free beer, but even he wouldn’t partake in the mystery substance. Half the requests he received weren’t even his songs, but he happily performed most of them anyway going through fantastic performances of the Johnny Paycheck/Tracy Byrd hit “She’s All I Got,” early Paycheck classic “A-11,” Conway Twitty’s seductive best “You’ve Never Been This Far Before” and even remembered almost every word of Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” despite doubting he could.

Chesnutt’s most recent top 40 single from 2007 “Rollin’ with the Flow,” a cover of the Charlie Rich classic, was fitting for the night as Chesnutt essentially did the same.

Chesnutt seemed at ease playing just about every other country music legend’s songs, but did end up playing a good portion of his greatest hits, as well, including “Going Through the Big D,” “Talkin’ to Hank,” “Ol’ Country” and “I Just Wanted You to Know.”

A couple of the show’s highlights were two of the non-single tracks off of his 2004 album “Savin’ the Honky Tonk,” which was one of the underappreciated albums of the last decade. Those two songs “Somebody Save the Honky Tonks” and “Beer, Bait & Ammo” kept the crowd’s interest, even if they weren’t as familiar with the tunes.

Chesnutt’s best two performances of the night where of his debut single “Too Cold at Home,” which is country music gold and “I’ll Think of Something,” which is one of the greatest and saddest country performances of all time. He finished the show with one of his most well known hits “It Sure Is Monday,” which sent the crowd away happy.

You can find the big name stars these days filling up arenas, like at Little Rock’s Verizon Arena, but if you want true, hardcore country greatness sometimes you have to drive a little ways down a back road in a small Southern town to a stage out in the woods surrounded by horses and cattle. It’s where country belongs, after all.