Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

Vince Gill deserves a whole lot better

Jeffrey Remz  |  April 28, 2010

Seeing Vince Gill in concert is always pure joy. After at least half a dozen shows over the years (hard to remember how many at this point), Gill is money in the bank. His voice remains excellent. His guitar playing is superb without ever overdoing it, and, of course, with a lot of history under his belt, Gill has a slew of great songs.

Not to mention his sense of humor, which is ever apparent.

That remained true after seeming him yet again on Tuesday in Worcester, Mass. However, it must be said that there was a large degree of frustration in thinking about Gill afterward.

His last disc was the excellent "These Days" back from 2006, his 4-CD tour de force of differing musical styles ranging from country to rock. The release was sort of a swan song on Universal for Gill, considering how rare it is to release anything that's not going to be a hit.

So, why is Gill on the sidelines at some level playing to a graying audience while his counterparts - at least age-wise - like Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn still are getting the airplay and the tours? Certainly, quality has nothing to do with it, and that's no criticism whatsoever of B&D or Reba.

Maybe it's more in the ability of being able to market Brooks & Dunn and McEntire, who have strong careers going. Well, not much longer for B&D, of course.

Too bad because Gill remains a very very fine performer. He played two new songs at the Worcester show, including The Red Words about his wife, Amy Grant and the sad ballad Bread and Water, a piece based on his late brother, who had a trouble and struggling life. Gill said he recorded the songs. Let's hope that they see the light of day along with a bunch more.

It's just too bad that an artist of Gill's stature just isn't part of the musical mix these days.