Stagecoach 2013: Charlie Daniels Band and Charley Pride show they still have style

Stagecoach 2013: Charlie Daniels Band and Charley Pride show they still have style

Posted:   04/29/2013 03:31:58 AM PDT
Updated:   04/29/2013 03:39:54 AM PDT

INDIO – North Carolina’s The Charlie Daniels Band and Sledge, Mississippi’s Charley Pride provided a jolt of musical energy to the Palomino Stage on Sunday at the Stagecoach country music festival.

Charlie Daniels, who has been releasing albums since 1971 and is age 76, earned the crowd’s respect with his guitar playing, fiddle skills and musical selection and Pride won his audience with vocals, stage presence and his body of work.

Daniels performed hits like 1975’s “Long Haired Country Boy,” 1990’s “”(What This World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks” and newer material like “Black Ice.” He ended his set, of course, with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

A good portion of the audience lingered for Daniels, even as his set ran into the time for Zac Brown Band, and it paid off when the country legend performed his biggest hit.

Pride, introduced by “American Idol” judge Randy Johnson as a “country music legend,” immediately jumped into a cover of Dave Dudley’s “Six Days on the Road” (which was also on a Pride live album in 1969) 1970’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” and 1966’s “Just Between You and Me.”

After performing his No. 1 1969 hit “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me),” Pride simply said it “was my first No. 1. Thank you. I’m glad you remember that.”

During much of the entertaining set Pride, who has been around since 1966 and is age 75, performed hit after hit and would walk to the left side of the stage to linger for pictures as as well confidently walk each side of the stage with his microphone.

wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com