Jaydee Bixby had a decent sized crowd dancing and singing along for Ronald McDonald House, April 19 at Essies.
I arrived in the middle of a medley including Brooks and Dunns’ “ Play Something Country,” which was followed by several excerpts from Elvis Presley’s vast catalogue.
He had a couple of people frenetically dancing on the dance floor, where the stage was set up. No matter what you say about Bixby and other Canadian Idol reality TV products, the kid knows his roots and showed them.
I didn’t hear a lot of his own material, other than his first big hit “Old Fashioned Girl,” but he included a variety of Elvis songs, plus Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.”
He thanked the crowd convivially for coming out and noted he doesn’t get to see his family very often.
So he brought his dad and mom to sing Merle Haggard’s moonshine anthem “White Lines,” and Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock respectively. His mom added a lot of twang to the rock and roll classic, showing talent runs in his family.
Bixby was a personable performer, beaming throughout his set.
He ended his set with a cover of Colt Ford’s detuned hit “Tailgate Party.” They were called back for an encore of “My So Called Life.”
