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 Merle Haggard & Kris Kristofferson |
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Story and photos by Jen Bronenkant Unceremoniously taking the stage alone, Kris Kristofferson opened the show with "Shipwrecked in the Eighties" which he dedicated to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then introduced Merle Haggard who picked up the pace with "Ramblin' Fever". From there the duo treated the audience to a collection of some of the greatest country songs ever written.Both men shared the stage during the entire performance and were was backed by Haggard's band The Strangers which now includes Haggard's young son Ben on lead guitar. The small venue was perfect for the intimate performance inviting a relaxed atmosphere between these legends and the audience. One really could feel that you were just relaxing with a couple of old friends. The duo peppered the performance with light banter and some favorite old jokes. Kris even had a little fun changing some of the words to Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee". The sold out crowd ate it up. With the exception of Haggard's performance of the Johnny Cash classic "Folsom Prison Blues", the show was entirely made up of hits from the impressive catalogs of the two stars. Haggard closed with "I Am What I Am" from his latest album of the same name. It is a simple statement of who the man is now. Thank you Hag, we're glad you are what you are. Time may have weathered the faces of these two legends but their performance in Milwaukee left no doubt as to why they became legends in the first place. |
| Milwaukee Set List: | |
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1. Shipwrecked in the Eighties - Kristofferson 2. Ramblin' Fever - Haggard 3. Silver Wings - Haggard 4. The Pilgrim: Chapter 33 - Kristofferson 5. I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink - Haggard 6. Workin' Man's Blues - Haggard 7. Always Late (With Your Kisses) - Haggard 8. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) - Kristofferson 9. It's Been a Great Afternoon - Haggard 10. White Line Fever - Haggard 11. Nobody Wins - Kristofferson |
12. Sing Me Back Home - Haggard 13. Help Me Make It Through The Night - Kristofferson 14. The Silver Tongued Devil And I - Kristofferson 15. The Way I Am - Haggard 16. If We Make It Through December - Haggard 17. Me and Bobby McGee - Kristofferson 18. Mama Tried - Haggard 19. Runaway Mama - Haggard 20. For The Good Times - Kristofferson 21. Today I Started Loving You Again - Haggard 22. Okie From Muskogee - Haggard 23. Folsom Prison Blues - Haggard 24. Why Me Lord - Kristofferson 25. Sunday Morning Coming Down - Kristofferson 26. I Am What I Am - Haggard |
 Merle Haggard |
 Kris Kristofferson |
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