Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sunday’s show on the Great Country Radio Stage was listed as an acoustic performance on the York Fair schedule.

Apparently, no one told Bucky Covington, because he showed up with his full band.

Which turned out to be a good thing, since he planned on delivering as kick-butt a country concert as you’re likely to see on that stage or any other.

By the third song, he had the crowd roaring to the opening notes of his first big hit, “A Different World.” By the end of the fourth, he was out of breath. And an hour into the show, he invited everyone in the packed stands to move as close to the stage as possible.

The only thing missing was a mosh pit.

Over the course of a 17-song set, Bucky delivered most of the highlights from his 2007 self-titled debut album, a sampling of what to expect from the new CD due out in November and a few surprises.

An hour before the show, the biggest surprise to those who showed up early to get front-row seats was that they were getting to see the former Idol contestant on the WGTY radio stage in what amounted to a free concert with the price of admission to the fair.

After all, this is a guy who had three top 10 country hits — “A Different World” included — off his first album.

Breanna Gruber was thrilled just the same.

“I didn’t think he’d come to something this small,” the 25-year-old Dover resident said. “He’s got a really good voice. He just seems bigger than this.”

“He doesn’t belong here,” said Richard Smith, 69, of Gettysburg, who was attending the show with his wife, Shirley. “He belongs on the big stage (in the grandstand).”

“We were broken-hearted when he went off (American Idol, in an eighth-place finish in season five),” he added. “They just didn’t like country music.”

This was a show that drew fans of all ages. Carol Snyder, 69, of Red Lion, showed up at the fair at 10:30 a.m. to make sure she got a good seat for Bucky’s show.

Sitting nearby in the front row was 14-year-old Jessie Zurat of Schuylkill County, an hour-and-a-half drive from York. She was more than happy to show off her Bucky Covington photo album, filled with shots from a recent concert in Schaefferstown, Pa., and three fresh autographs she’d snagged from band members prior to the show. Her goal afterward: To get Bucky’s.

And then there was 11-month-old Madison Sellard of Dover. She was born a week after Bucky played a show in Lancaster last year, so parents Jamie and Heather, decided to make Sunday’s show her first live concert. After it ended, they were near the front of a line to get Bucky’s autograph, hopeful that they’d also get to snap a photo of the country star with their daughter.

Many of the fans — like Paula Feeser, 31, of Dover; and Meredith Baer, 42, of Shenandoah County, Va. — said they’ve been following Bucky since his days on Idol.

But Donna Young, 45, of Carroll Valley, said she was won over the first time she saw him perform live, during a tour with Jason Michael Carroll.

And Michele Ayello of Auburn, Pa., said she wasn’t familiar with Bucky Covington until she started hearing his music on country radio. Sunday’s concert was the fourth time she’s seen him live.

Why so often?

“He interacts with the crowd a lot,” Michele said. “He interacts with his band, too. I like to see that. Not all singers do that.”

“He’s so down-to-earth. I just love him to death,” added Vi Young, 68.

Which brings us back to the show, during which Bucky enticed 9-year-old Brianna Shifflet of York to join him on stage for “Giants” (she admitted afterward to being “a little nervous”). During which he waded through the crowd to kiss the hand of wheelchair-bound Barb Grove of New Salem during a rendition of the sentimental hit “I’ll Walk.” He waded through the crowd again during the rowdy “It’s Good to be Us,” singing half the song while standing on a bench in the middle of the audience.

Fans also got to meet his girlfriend, Katherine Cook, who was summoned to the stage on what Bucky said was her 26th birthday. They were introduced to Terra Covington, his sister-in-law, who was running the merchandise tent.

Terra’s married to Rocky Covington, Bucky’s twin brother. He’s in the band too, playing percussion, except for the couple of songs where Bucky shared the mic with him — before jokingly threatening to throw him on “the merch table” for trying to steal the show.

As for the music, fans got to hear five songs from the upcoming CD, including the aforementioned “Giants,” the likely next single “Gotta Be Somebody,” “Mexicoma,” “Evel Knievel” and “Hold a Woman,” which Bucky called “my sexy song.”

In keeping with the night’s mood, most of the surprises were up-tempo, including a raucous rendition of “Suspicious Minds” and the curveball of curveballs, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

Did it all work?

“It was amazing,” declared Tiffany Hafner, 21, of York. “He’s so fine.”

About that post-show line for autographs … it was a couple of hundred people long.

At the back of the line was Jean Hicks of Littlestown, just hoping Bucky would sign long enough that she’d make it to the front.

“He’s very energetic,” she said. “And he relates well to the audience. It was fantastic.”

The Set

1. American Friday Night
2. Back When We Were Gods
3. A Different World
4. Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley cover)
5. Giants
6. Seven Spanish Angels (Willie Nelson cover)
7. I’m Good
8. Mexicoma
9. Happy Birthday
10. Hold a Woman
11. I’ll Walk
12. Unchain My Heart (Ray Charles cover)
13. Evel Knievel
14. Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd cover)
15. It’s Good to Be Us

Encore
16. Gotta Be Somebody
17. Keep Your Hands to Yourself (Georgia Satellites cover)

Also available …

Want to hear what Bucky has to say about his career and his upcomign album? Check out this pre-concert interview. Here’s the link.

Coming Monday …

Fans at Sunday’s show tell Idol Chatter whom they’d prefer: Ellen DeGeneres or Paula Abdul.

And more photos courtesy of Stacey Brooks …