Cowboy Christmas at the Paramount Theatre

I feel like I just got back from a spy mission. The senior ladies at the Paramount Theatre were in full force to make sure no one took a picture during the performance. My two photos are a bit blurred from hiding under my coat. I had my camera set on no flash but I think they had their night vision goggles on while scanning the audience for offenders. I’m sure there is a very valid reason for the no photos policy so I will get on to the real subject of this post and that is the knee-slapping, hollering and loud clapping that we all did last night while listening to Michael Martin Murphey and his amazing troupe of cowboy musicians.

The concert had a Christmas theme so we didn’t hear a lot of the old traditional cowboy, cattle driving songs like Little Joe the Wrangler. However, his version of one of Handel’s Christmas hymns was delightful on a stringed instrument. I can’t remember if it was his banjo or the guitar because he switched instruments so frequently and is a master at both.

But of course, I was waiting to hear my favorite, Wildfire, and I was not disappointed. Two screens on either side of the beautiful Paramount stage held videos and slide shows of him, friends and family as the music played. We got to see some great shots of Monument Valley and other visions of western parts of our United States.

I have to add before typing the last word to this post, that Michael Martin Murphey, truly seems to be one of the most genuine entertainers I have seen on stage. I get the feeling that he actually dresses in his boots, hat and wildrag everyday and his cowboy way is not a performance but truly the spirit of a man who has an intimate relationship with God, is a good steward of the animals in his care and shares his creation of music out of a desire to make people happy, even if he didn’t get paid for it.