At SXSW this year there were many father and son-combinations playing. Either together, or different gigs. One of these was Bobby Bare sr. and jr. I have seen junior some years ago, and he is definitely worth following. The last time I saw Bobby Bare sr., was at a rerun of a NRK TV recording of him, Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves and the Anita Kerr Singers in Oslo from 1964. It was definitely about time to see him “live live”.

Bobby Bare played the ACL Moody Theatre, and there weren’t many people there for either him nor the others who played that night – with the exception of John Fogerty. But Bobby Bare didn’t look much affected by this, and he did his biggest hits from the old days, like Detroit City and 500 Miles Away From Home.

Bobby Bare turns 78 in April, but he looks well with his signature white hat and his Telecaster. His w´voice is also strong, and his band does what is needed to get the songs through. I enjoyed seeing him, even if the show was a short one, the typical SXSW 40 minutes. He is known for a rather fresh sense of humour, but in a show like this, there isn’t much time for chatting. All in all it was an ok concert from a man who has paid his dues in a career of over 50 years.

All pictures are © Per Ole Hagen and must not be used without written permission.