Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse - Burgettstown, PA on October 28, 2000

What a great weekend for a road trip! The weather was nice, very little traffic. Now I am way too excited, in bad need of a fix. We went to the Roadhouse first, found it with no trouble. Big sign out front with "Marty Stuart" in red letters, took a picture. Went on to find a place to stay, Had a little trouble there, this place is just a spot in the road, so we had to go a little way down the interstate to find a hotel. Got that taken care of. Time seemed to drag.

You know how it is when you go see the man, it takes forever to get here then is over way too quickly. It was like ole home week, I talked with Glenda and Clarence, Margie and Ellie, Margie Sullivan, Terri and her husband, Jenn, Patty, Kim, and Brenda. It was really fun to see everyone. But would it EVER be show time?.....Finally...7:00 p.m. on the nose, the opening act. The Gunslingers, a local band from Pittsburgh, who were really good, came out. The lead singer was a hoot. He was all over the stage and in the crowd and pretty entertaining, but...I was ready for Marty.

A couple of DJ's from a country station came out and said Marty would be out in a couple minutes but his hair was finishing eating... pleasssse! At last the lights dim and the Cowboys come out and then Marty! They all looked fabulous!! Marty wore black leather pants and a black leather shirt. He looked oh so very fine as only he can look! They all seemed very relaxed and ready to have a good time. I wrote the set list down, but may get a title wrong, but you'll get the idea.

He opened with "Hillbilly Highway," "Hey Baby," "Whiskey." He said he just did the Opry's 75th birthday and got to see Travis and "that boy still ain't gonna amount to nothing, but I wrote this song and he recorded it and nailed it but I'm gonna try and do it for you."

He did "Hard Times and Misery." He introduced Brad and said he cut his finger carving a pumpkin (Brad holds it up, bandaged and gets some "aah's"). Marty says, "We've got to go back on the road so we'll quit hurtin' ourselves." He then introduced Gregg and Steve. They did "Blue Train," "Just to Satisfy You," "That's What Love's About," "Little Things," "Till I Gain Control Again," "Country Girls." He said, "We have fan club members here from all over, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts." Then he said "Marty" with an accent like Margie and Ellie, "but you all look like honky tonkers to me!" He then went into "Honky Tonk Crowd."

He said, "A lady brought me a cake with a file in it today and asked me to do this one." "Long Black Veil".....Now when he does that, I could die a happy woman, the hair on my neck stood up and I got cold chills. He did "Now That's Country" and said "This is the hardest I've worked all year." Several people kept screaming for "Hillbilly Rock" and he screamed back "NO!" A lady came up to the edge of the stage and gave him a pair of boxer shorts with pink pigs on them and he said "thank you honey." He picked them up and leaned over to the side on one foot, Steve propped him up and Brad slid them up his leg, "but I don't wear underwear!" The crowd roared. Now there's a sight...but that's another story like the hot tub, lawn, spandex....He did "Rocket Ship" and "Hillbilly Rock" and you know what that means.

They came back and did "Steve Plays Electric Bass." He said, "They told me we were here a year ago tomorrow, you know a lot can happen in a year but you have to trust God to do what's right....I miss Gary Hogue and I went home and wrote this for him." He did "Far Away." It was beautiful and very quiet while he sang it, so very moving. Yes I cried. Then they did "Burn Me Down." He thanked us for coming, motioned the guys to come up, they all bowed together, he said "I love you!" and another Marty Party is history.

He did a meet/greet, signed and allowed pictures. When it was my turn, I walked up and he just opened his arms for one of those all important hugs and said, " Hey how are you?" I said, "Fine and I miss you. I'm in withdrawal. You have got to go back on the road!" He said, "I miss you too and we'll be back. You got a camera?" I said "yes." He said "let's do our hair." He fluffs his hair and cracks up laughing. They snap it and he gives me another hug and says " I love ya." What a very special man he is, always lets me know somehow that I matter. No wonder I need a fix all the time!

I went out, tried to find everyone to say goodbye. Talked to Steve, got a hug there as well. All in
all, as usual, a great time was had by all!

Review by Sheila Walters, Waynesville, OH