By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
If there's one thing Aaron Watson won't do, it's let down his hometown fans.
Well, there's probably a lot of things Aaron Watson won't do, a list not limited to wearing skinny jeans or leather bracelets or showing off dance moves, but for our purposes here, let's stick to how he doesn't want to disappoint his Amarillo fan base.
You see, Watson was supposed to headline Homer's Backyard Ball this weekend, but when organizers decided to put the outdoor music festival on hiatus, he was left with a hole in his schedule and a desire to come home anyway. (It's probably not only the sausage sandwiches and beans at Doug's BBQ that are calling him home, but let's not pretend that they don't hurt.)
So Watson reached out to Midnight Rodeo, his stomping grounds ever since his Texas country career took off, and the club agreed to try out something new: An outdoor, family-friendly concert kicking off at 6:45 p.m. Saturday at the venue, 4400 S. Georgia St. Doors open at 6 p.m.
"Lots of venues are already booked up nine months in advance, but they were kind enough at Midnight Rodeo to say, 'We'll build a stage in the parking lot, and it'll be a ton of fun,'" Watson said. "I've never done (an outdoor show) in all my years of playing there."
It won't be the typical Rodeo show either, Watson said.
"You know, I think sometimes mamas get a little worried when they hear 'Midnight Rodeo' (in connection with) their kiddos, but I can't stress enough this is a family-friendly show," Watson said. "We're gonna sing country music, and I'm gonna talk about my family and talk about my faith in Jesus."
He's bringing along two other Texas country favorites — Kimberly Dunn, who also was on the Homer's bill, and Mike Ryan.
"Kim, she's easy on the eyes and easy on the ears," Watson said. "We've had the opportunity to play a bunch of shows with her, and she's always a hit. ... Mike, he's not near as good-looking as Kim, but he's got a great vibe and puts on a high-energy show.
"I'm thankful that we were able to put together such a talented bill with those additions at such short notice."
Cover is $20 or $35 for VIP passes.
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and at www.facebook.com/chipchandlerwriter on Facebook.
