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Still a big bang, but not as loud

Country Thunder 2009
Shadow Hill Ranch
Twin Lakes, WI
July 15 - 18, 2009

Alan Jackson

Taylor Swift

Tim McGraw

Review and photos by Phil Bonyata
Photos of Tracy Lawrence and The Lost Trailers by Terry Mayer

You ever get the urge to dig those old cowboy boots out of the closet and wrestle away a country fan's shiny new cowboy hat for a weekend? Even if you're not a country fan. Well, apparently quite a few non believers (among a multitude of Southern country faithful) did just that at last weekend's annual mega hoedown in the flat farm fields of Southern Wisconsin. There's something about wanting to belong when you really don't belong - that is buried deep inside of us all. Rebels need not apply.

Country Thunder is the genre's Lollapalooza...it's the mother of all country festivals. Big, bad, bloated and beautiful. It's why we over indulge and why we still have guilt with all of it's excess when it's still a fresh (and many times, hazy) memory on the long car ride home. The vast campgrounds that encircle the main grounds are, too many, as important as the music itself. There is an empowerment and sense of freedom of creating your very own small city, if only for a weekend, where most of it's inhabitants share the same love of music, culture, religion and politics. It's a place where friendships are made and sometimes enemies can be created as well (usually due to a hefty flow of Jack Daniels).

Attendance appeared to be down quite a bit over the last few years probably due more towards the economy then some of the changes made by the new owners (eliminating the popular Miller Lite tent, the chair run, the perceived lack of security control around the VIP seating aisles, a smaller number of vendors and not utilizing local business for discounted ticket sales). But, the community vibe was still fully intact. With a bevy of heavy hitting acts such as Tim McGraw (a spirited and genuine performance), Alan Jackson (raw and natural to the bone), Taylor Swift (a bit of lackluster preening), Kellie Pickler (modern country with a sexy swagger) and Phil Vassar (connected nicely with the audience) the music was never in question.

While there were a few bumps in this year's event - it's doubtful that a vast amount of country fans will be able to resist the urge to kick on their cowboy boots and again head to the fields of Wisconsin in 2010.