Jackson rolls out hits at Grand Garden Arena

Monday, April 25, 2005 | 8:22 a.m.

In this high-tech society that wakes up in a new world every day, country superstar Alan Jackson is just an old half-ton, shortbed Ford pickup, like the one in his 2002 hit "Drive."

The tall, slow-talking, laid-back, 46-year-old native of Newnan, Ga., remains true to his country roots in an entertainment universe that seems to have gone crazy with technology.

Jackson launched his 2005 "What I Do" tour Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The tour's name comes from the title of his 2004 platinum hit.

But for large TV screens that loomed over the stage, this was a low-keyed affair in an arena that, for concerts, seats 12,000.

No one flew through the air. There were no deafening explosions or blinding lights -- only Jackson, his backup band, the Strayhorns, and the music.

With 31 No. 1 hits under his belt (23 penned by him), there was a lot to choose from.

For 90 minutes Jackson panned nuggets of gold (and platinum) from his lode of songs that have dominated the charts since his 1990 debut album "Here in the Real World."

The title song was one of about 20 crowd-pleasing classics that he performed in his slow-paced, unrushed style.

Jackson, who has won almost every major award available to country entertainers (some of them two or three times), opened with "Gone Country" -- a 1994 hit that took a shot at country music going commercial.

From there, the hits just kept coming: "I Don't Even Know Your Name," "Livin' On Love," "When Somebody Loves You," "Itty Bitty," "Don't Rock the Jukebox," "Five O'Clock Somewhere," "The Blues Man," "Drive," "Chattahoochee."

His biggest ovation of the evening was for "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Jackson's response to the attacks of 9/11.

The single, which was No. 1 for five weeks, was included in the 2002 album "Drive."

Jackson's performance was almost flawless, though his strong voice faltered slightly when he sang "Remember When," perhaps because he was a little tired -- he had taped "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno in Los Angeles earlier in the day and flown in for the concert, arriving shortly before he was to go onstage.

But fans either didn't notice or didn't care.

They were caught up in the words of his music, which stresses family values and the simple life, and of course honky tonks and love.

Jackson rarely stepped out of his hit parade, with a couple of notable exceptions -- one was his version of Jim Ed Brown's 1967 hit "Pop a Top," and Hank Williams' 1951 classic "Hey, Good Lookin' " (which Jimmy Buffett re-cut last year with guest vocals by Jackson, George Strait, Toby Keith and Clint Black).

For country purists, Jackson is hard to beat. He's in the same league as Strait and the past kings of country legends such as George Jones and Conway Twitty.

Not only does he have a keen ear for choosing lyrics that fit his own vocal style and personal philosophies, he's pretty good at spotting other talent.

Fans who arrived late for Saturday's performance missed two superb opening acts -- one was Sara Evans ("Suds in the Bucket," "Born to Fly," "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus"), whose latest single ("A Real Fine Place to Start" is set to be released today.

The other was the Wrights, the husband and wife team of Adam and Shannon Wright.

The couple are relatively new to the national scene. Their first album, "Down the Road," is scheduled to be released May 3.

The album is being produced by Jackson, Adam Wright's cousin.

When it comes to breaking into the competitive recording industry, it doesn't hurt to have connections in high places -- and it doesn't get much higher in country music than Alan Jackson.