The stars come out to shine

What to look for from Steve Miller Band, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Keith Urban when they come to the fair.

PREVIEW by Dave Richards Staff writer

You don’t need a big ol’ jet airliner to find superstar concerts next week. You need only drive to Meadville, where the Crawford County Fair offers a blockbuster lineup, perhaps its strongest in fair history.

All are fair first-timers, as well.

The lineup includes Keith Urban, the Country Music Association’s reigning entertainer of the year, with guest Little Big Town; country’s most lauded duo Brooks & Dunn plus hot newcomer Sugarland; and the Steve Miller Band, which has sold more than 13 million copies of its “Greatest Hits, 1974-78” CD and wants to keep rockin’ you, baby.

Here’s the lowdown.

Steve Miller Band, Eric Johnson on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Miller immersed himself in the blues early in his career. “Living in the USA,” even now, remains a staple on classic-rock stations, and his band included Boz Scaggs. Paul McCartney — credited as Paul Ramon — sang vocals and played bass on the early Miller track, “My Dark Hour.”

But starting with 1974’s crafty “The Joker,” Miller became a hitmaking phenomenon, letting his pop instincts take over. He crafted sunny, hummable songs with irresistible choruses — a sort of lastblast of AM radio glory days.

Hits such as “Jet Airliner,” “Rock’n Me,” “Take the Money and Run,” and “Fly Like an Eagle” remain staples on both oldies and classic-rock stations, and you won’t find a Miller concert without them.

Capitol just issued a 30th anniversary edition of “Fly Like an Eagle” in 5.1 remastered sound with three bonus cuts. In an interview with the Orange County Register, Miller agreed that it remains his quintessential album, especially the title cut, which he regards as his best work. He’s proud that a wide range of artists — including Seal, Neville Brothers, and Joe Satriani — have all covered the title track.

“It’s a very interesting piece of music. So the fact that it can remain fresh and spontaneous and people can come and play on it, that says a lot about it as a piece,” Miller said.

“That would probably be the highlight right there, my most creative piece. You know, ‘The Joker’ is a fun song, ‘Take the Money and Run’ and ‘Jungle Love’ are fun songs. Those are ones people really like to sing and hear, but with ‘Fly Like an Eagle,’ you have a vehicle for jam and creativity. I would put it as the centerpiece.”

At some shows, “Eagle” can soar as long as 15 minutes.

On Tuesday, expect to hear not only Miller’s biggest hits, but a nod to his blues heritage, where his longtime harmonica player Norton Buffalo get to wail. And pay attention to Miller as guitarist — he’s criminally underrated.

Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Brooks & Dunn — the most successful country duo of all time — is still going strong with “Hillbilly Deluxe” nearly a year after its release.

Produced by Tony Brown, the CD produced the raucous No. 1 hit “Play Something Country” and the soul-stirring smash “Believe,” which won the Academy of Country Music’s award for song of the year in May. The CD also features current No. 11 Billboard hit “Building Bridges” with highpowered guests Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow.

In a press release, Kix Brooks noted the new songs are receiving a strong reaction from fans in concert.

“It feels so good when we play anything from this record out there live,” Brooks said. “In a lot of places, these songs get the same response as our hits, so I guess it’s OK to say that people liked it.”

“We worked hard on this record,” added Ronnie Dunn in the same release. “This one has fire in it.”

Brooks & Dunn — which released their debut in 1991 — are known for pulling out all the stops in concert. They didn’t win the ACM’s entertainer-ofthe-year award three times (and another from the Country Music Association) for sitting there motionless at the microphone.
So expect a ferocious, combustible show with lots of high-powered honky-tonk, hard-rocking country, and plenty of hits such as “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Neon Moon,” “She

Used to Be Mine,” and “Red Dirt Road.”
The Atlanta duo Sugarland emerged as one of 2005’s top newcomers, thanks to “Twice the Speed of Life,” which featured the singles “Something More” and “Baby Girl.” Like Little Big Town, there’s a lot of Fleetwood Mac influence on the duo, which will release its second CD on Nov. 7.

Lead singer Jennifer Nettles — the band’s photogenic singer — helped keep her group in the spotlight by singing a smash duet with Bon Jovi. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” became the first No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart by a rock band. The song was so successful, Sugarland tacked it onto latter editions of its debut.

Sugarland has already released “Want To” as the debut single from the forthcoming new CD; it’s No. 30 on Radio & Records in just its second week. Nettles will also appear on “Good Morning, America” on Aug. 30 to read the nominees for the 40th annual CMA Awards, which will be hosted — for a third year — by their tour mates Brooks & Dunn.

Keith Urban, Little Big Town on Aug. 24

Crawford Fair treasurer Frederic Wagner was thrilled to land Urban, the 2005 entertainer of the year and Grammy winner for top male vocalist. But his reasons don’t involve just music.

“I’d like to see him bring his wife. I’d like to get her autograph,” Wagner said with a laugh.
Urban is married to actress Nicole Kidman, a native of Australia, just like he is. On his parents’ farm, he soaked up records by Charley Pride, Don Williams, Glen Campbell, and others.

“I inherited this kind of love for the American dream,” he said in the press release for “Be Here,” the Academy of Country Music’s album of the year for 2005. “I fell in love with the music, the cars, and the whole idea of America.”

He moved to the U.S. in 1992, at first playing with a band in Nashville. When that didn’t pan out, he signed a solo deal with Capitol Nashville and issued his debut in 2000.

Nashville can be notoriously slow to accept newer artists, and Urban had a pair of strikes against him. With his scruffy good looks and long hair, he seemed more like a member of Nirvana than a country singer, and he hailed from Brisbane, not Nashville.

But his exceptional, rock-styled guitar work brought an exciting edge to his passionate country. Radio warmed up to him, especially with “But for the Grace of God,” the third single, which became his first No. 1 hit. He wound up winning the ACM’s top-new-male-vocalist award and the Country Music Association’s most-promising-new-artist award.

The follow-up “Golden Road” was an even bigger hit, boosted by a video with model Nikki Taylor for “Somebody Like You,” which hit No. 1 for a staggering eight weeks. He also won over fans by opening for Brooks & Dunn during their “Neon Circus” tour.

The more personal “Be Here” upped the ante further with the hard-driving hit “Days Go By,” “Better Life,” “Making Memories of Us,” and “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” his seventh No. 1 single.

Urban’s next CD arrives in the fall. No release date has been announced yet, but he just issued a new single, “Once in a Lifetime,” which he co-wrote with John Shanks. They’ve got a good track record. They also co-wrote “Somebody Like You.”

“Lifetime” is yet another infectious rocker, which is becoming an Urban trademark, like his shows. His concerts are as rocking as country gets.

“That’s what it’s about for me — giving all I’ve got to lift spirits and raise the roof,” Urban said.