The Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides, Bikefest, Leesburg, FL 4/28/2013

IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE CURRENT OUTLAWS, PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE SLAMMING ME FOR POSTING THIS VIDEO! _____________________________________________________ The TENNESSEE Guitar Army! Yipers. What happened!? ;-) This is from Bikefest in Leesburg, FL, 4/28/2013. The sound is nice, the video is crisp but jerky at times. It was my first time shooting video with this camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS19). Nice camera, but I was zoomed in, and every motion got exaggerated. And I was scrambling to learn the controls (the zoom slider is in an awkward spot). My arms were killing me after 17 minutes! The next concert I shoot I will have some kind of stabilizer unit. Sorry about the jerkiness; some parts are much better than others. If you just bob your head to the music, like you are there, you won’t notice it as much. I am an Outlaws fan. I live in Tampa, but I did not live here when The Outlaws broke out. (I’m a relocated yankee). It must have been a great time to have been here! I frequent O’Keefe’s even today, and can only imagine those days. My introduction to The Outlaws was in February 1979 in Buffalo, NY. I was more interested in Molly Hatchet, opening the show, but they cancelled out that night. It was the ’Playin’ To Win’ tour, and my second concert ever at age 15. Hughie/Billy/Freddie/Harvey/Monte/David lineup. I was captivated, and became a fan that night. I have seen The Outlaws 6 times, I think. That 1979 show in Buffalo. At the Silver Dollar Saloon in Lansing, MI in late 80s (Henry was back in the band. That night, anyway). Then opening for Stevie Ray Vaughn in Grand Rapids, MI, also late ’80s (whoops, no Henry at this one). 2006 at the Crystal River Harley dealership (no Henry, he left again). Then, after Hughie passed, in Punta Gorda in 2008, which featured a nice classy tribute to Hughie/Billy/Frank before GG&HT. I cried. Since that show I have learned a lot about the rift between the factions. It’s disturbing that adults can’t work out a fair deal, using integrity and fairness as their guide. From what I’ve read, it’s been more about which legal team got the upper hand, rather than what’s right. But what do I know? I do know that I still want to hear Hughie’s album he was working on. (And have the money go to the right people). I understand that the band in this video could just as easily be called ’The Henry Paul Band Does The Outlaws.’ I miss Hughie, and Billy, more than I can say. I almost feel guilty attending an Outlaws show now. I wish they had dedicated this song to their fallen brothers, but they didn’t this time. And right in their fallen brothers’ back yard, even. With many of those guys’ friends in attendance. A missed opportunity. I’m not sure I’ll attend another Outlaws show. Even though I had chills at this one, because the music is so good. It’s hard to explain these mixed emotions. I love the songs. And I love Billy Crain’s and Chris Anderson’s guitar playing. I think they are all doing a good job of keeping the music alive. (But do we really need a keyboard player?) I know, and true Outlaws fans know, that this band was about Hughie Thomasson and Billy Jones. I do recommend that in the future, (at least) when the band plays Florida shows, Henry, take that extra minute and give credit where credit is due, to the people who really made this music happen. If you can do the Skynyrd tribute with ’Grey Ghost,’ you can do the Outlaws tribute with GG&HT! ___________________________________________________ Since writing this, I got into it with some idiot at a forum who claims this is the ’TRUE Outlaws.’ He also informed me that the current touring Outlaws, the one in this video, lead by Henry Paul, has dropped almost all Hughie T. songs from their setlist. HEH??? So I checked some setlists. Yea, many of the recent shows have even dropped the iconic Green Grass & High Tides!! That’s like Skynyrd dropping Freebird. I see Henry has slipped his own Grey Ghost in instead for many shows. So I guess Henry is begrudgingly playing a couple Hughie songs, but has made it mostly the countrified Henry Paul songs from the very few years he was even in the band. I also see that his country band Blackhawk is opening most of the shows. Why do I have a feeling other members of ’The Outlaws’ are doing double duty in both bands? Correct me if I’m wrong. Henry, why not just tour as Henry Paul, and play your contributions to the Outlaws, and give the name back to Hughie’s estate? ___________________________________________________________ Copyright owner, why not monetize this video by attaching an ad, rather than taking it down? I do this as a hobby, so my wife and I and friends can watch these, and other fans too. I doubt it’s costing you a penny for it to be up. Why not let people promote your music (asset) here rather than punishing us?