Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008

REVIEW: Jack Ingram didn't forget Texas crowd

By ERIN WHITE

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH -- Jack Ingram, more accustomed to a Billy Bob's crowd, looked slightly out of his element on the Bass Hall stage Wednesday night where he played a free concert to celebrate the venue's 10th anniversary.

He acknowledged as much, replacing his usual jeans and cowboy boots with a crisply pressed suit. About three songs in, he told the crowd, "My goal tonight is to turn this place into a honky-tonk."

He didn't quite, but he did turn in an enjoyable show.

The singer-songwriter spent 15 years crisscrossing Texas before he hit it big in Nashville, and he didn't forget that he was playing to an audience that had listened to him for years before Wherever You Are charted.

In fact, he pointed out that here in Texas he can go halfway through the set list before playing a radio hit.

He had a good time with the crowd, confessing his addiction to the reality show Rock of Love (he gave it up for Lent this year) and wondering aloud what Bret Michaels would make of such a lovely venue. Ingram suggested that Michaels would probably install a stripper pole.

When Ingram wasn't telling stories, he played old favorites like Rank Bull, Keep On Keeping On, Great Divide, and Biloxi.

The rest of the country probably knows Ingram best for covering a Hinder song. But, as Texas music fans know, Ingram is a talented musician who crafts pretty melodies and killer hooks and pairs them with insightful lyrics.

He's working on new material, and the preview he gave -- taking the spotlight alone with his guitar and singing about the power of love amid success -- Wednesday night showed he hasn't lost touch as his star as has risen. As Ingram sang, the audience fell quiet, focusing on the stage. It was one of the evening's most intense and electrifying moments.

While Ingram might not be quite at home on the Bass Hall stage, he'll always be at home in Texas.