ROCKINGHAM — Bucky Covington kicked off his “We’re All Friends Here” Tour on Saturday in his hometown with a more intimate setting than expected.
Audio engineer Jack Wooten and his crew with WSL Productions had set up the lights and equipment on the stage at Rockingham Dragway and had run the band through a soundcheck earlier in the afternoon.
But a downpour at sunset caused plans to change.
Covington, who sang the national anthem at the track earlier in the day, said he had gone to his hotel room to take a shower before the show when the rain hit.
Anticipating a cancellation, Covington said he proposed moving the show to a nearby indoor venue.
The crowd was huddled underneath the shelter at the track’s On the Rocks bar waiting for the show, when the soundboard was moved in and microphone stands were set up.
Jack Wooten sets up a microphone will moving equipment to a makeshift stage.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
“It was just really a last minute stretch to ensure the show went on and the stand that stuck it out had a show,” Wooten said. “I was asked could we pull it off and my answer was ‘Yes!’”
Wooten said he and his crew had the makeshift stage ready in 30 minutes.
“We were born to mothers who smoked and drank,” Covington belted out, starting the show with his hit “A Different World,” released in 2007 and reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The show was mostly acoustic, with guitarist John Krentz and bassist Evan Wood plugged in. There wasn’t enough space for Zack Scalan’s keyboard, but he had ample opportunity to show off his fiddle-playing skills.
The “friends” who are part of the tour include his twin brother Rocky’s band The Scarecrows, as well as longtime bandmate Donald “Ducky” Medlock, vocalist Channing K and country rapper Lenny Cooper.
Channing K joins Bucky Covington on a picnic table during the show at Rockingham Dragway.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
“Lately, country music has a lot of different styles,” Covington said, adding that the idea for the tour was to blend them together.
The original plan for Saturday’s show was for the other acts to go on first, with Covington being the headliner.
But, the way it worked out, Covington floated in and out, letting the other acts take the lead while he either watched from “backstage” or slipped in for backing vocals. During one song, when Rocky was singing, Bucky sat in on drums.
Covington said he would like to use that format in future theater shows.
With it being the “We’re All Friends Here” tour, it seemed fitting that Covington had several old friends join him on stage.
Chuck Smith, left, and Eric Whitfield perform during the Sept. 6 Bucky Covington show at Rockingham Dragway.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Shortly into the set, he called up local musicians Eric Whitfield and Chuck Smith to perform a few songs; and Scuba Steve was part of the entire show. Friend and “merch guy” Ryan Cochran even stepped up to the mic on a few tunes; and Wooten stepped from behind the sound board and picked up a guitar during a cover of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive."
“It was the epitome of ‘We’re All Friends Here,’” Covington said, giving a “huge thank you to everyone who stuck around.”
The next show is Sept. 20 in Westmoreland, Tennessee.
This was Covington’s third local show in the past decade, with the other two being performances in Rockingham’s SpringFest in 2016 and 2023. He said he would love to have an annual homecoming concert.
“There’s nothing like coming back home,” he said. “I love playing in Rockingham.”
See photos from the show on the Facebook pages for the RO and Visit Richmond County.
