This past Sunday, all those with a love for boots, wranglers, and cowboy hats flocked to the Ft. Worth Stockyards for a day full of Texas Country music.
The fourth annual Red Dirt Roundup featured Bart Crow Band, Stephanie Briggs, Lucero, the Wallflowers, Randy Rogers Band, and Robert Earl Keen.
Cross Canadian Ragweed, a southern rock band from Oklahoma, headlined the show. They played their top hits “Kick in the Head”, “51 Pieces”, and “Blue Bonnets”.
Robert Earl Keen was also a favorite among the masses. Several concert-goers were quick to get out of their lawn chairs and two-step to “Corpus Christi Bay” and “The Road Goes on Forever”.
Lucero performed earlier in the day, but received just as big of a response as some of the major artists. They are famous for a sort of cult following in lieu of average fans.
The audience tossed beach balls into the air and sung Lucero’s classic rough country songs almost as loud as front man Ben Nichols himself.
“My all-time favorite band is Lucero, so any show they play, I have to be there,” said Brad Zink, SMU freshman and attendee of the Red Dirt Roundup. “I’ve been to five so far, and I couldn’t miss another opportunity to hear Ben Nichols. They always play with a lot of heart, and Ben’s soul always shines through his lyrics.”
Randy Rogers was also a crowd favorite, performing their smash hit “Kiss Me in the Dark”.
“I love them because their songs remind me of my own life,” said Heidy Herschmann, an Ennis, Texas, resident, of the local crooners. “They are easy to relate to and also fun to dance to.”
The Red Dirt Roundup got its start four years ago when Cross Canadian Ragweed collaborated with other bands of similar genre to bring an all-day showcase of Texas Country’s finest to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Every year, thousands and thousands of fans of all ages travel to Ft. Worth’s historic district to have a good time dancing in the dust of the Stockyards.
Lawn chairs and discarded beverages covered the several acres of rocky gravel between the two main stages.
Strewn throughout the festival grounds were corn dog stands boasting the “best jumbo corny dog around,” as they should be when set at a price of $6 each.
The concert is also expected to play in Nacogdoches, Texas, later this fall, and Cross Canadian Ragweed is already in the early stages of planning next year’s Labor Day event in the Stockyards.
