Waylon Jennings & the Waymore Blues Band - Never Say Die: The Complete Final Concert

Journeyman country outlaw Waylon Jennings might have been nearing the end of his road on this performance, but he had a full tank of gas when he hit the Ryman stage for two nights in January 2000. Although too ill to stand, Jennings is in fine--even exceptional--voice, as he and his Waymore Blues Band, augmented with horns for the first time, cruise through a tight and tough two-hour gig. This 2007 expanded edition of Jennings's final album not only adds eight tracks and a second audio disc, but also throws in a professionally shot DVD remixed in crystal-clear 5.1 surround sound. Guests Travis Tritt, Montgomery Gentry, and John Anderson add cameos, along with Waylon's wife Jessi Colter, who appears on four tracks. But this is Jennings's show, and although the country legend's health was on a downslide from which he would never recover, he sounds inspired and vital throughout this set of hits (and some obscurities). Extra tracks such as Tony Joe White's "Trouble Man" and the Band's "The Weight" are terrific additions, and the disc has now been reconfigured to follow the original sequence. Fans might lament the omission of signature Waylon fare such as "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" and "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" and the inclusion of fluffier pop like "Never Been to Spain," but this remains a moving and exciting live recording. The DVD is an indispensable bonus. It shows Jennings's obvious delight playing with this exceptional 11-piece outfit and their enthusiasm working with a country legend. The package is a fitting final document to one of roots music's most edgy trailblazers and essential listening/viewing for any country fan. --Hal Horowitz Amazon.com

Waylon's Best

I have been a Waylon fan for 40 years....................this is the best....too bad it had to be his last. September 7, 2008

The Greatest

Waylon's Never Say Die Concert is one of the best ever. His body may have left him down, but his voice could never let his fans down. He was and still is one of my favorite country singers. I even named my black lab puppy after him. Do yourself a favor and get this album. It's a joy to watch, and to hear. You won't be sorry. April 21, 2008

Unfortunately Waylon did "D-I-E"

Excellent,
A fine homage to the greatest "Outlaw". We will never see someone with this kind of dedication to "his" music again! February 8, 2008

What a way to go!

Talk about going out in a blaze of glory!
This concert is now my favorite Waylon Jennings concert! Although it's sad to see that he has to be sitting through the whole show, his charisma, the band and HIS STRONG VOICE make up for that. The great guest artists, especially Travis Tritt and John Anderson are a great bonus. The behind-the-stage stuff is also very interesting. A MUST-HAVE for any serious country-fan! January 18, 2008

Jennings' grand, final hurrah on video and CD

Having kicked cocaine and survived bypass surgery and a mild stroke, Jennings was slowed by emphysema and taken off the road by diabetes. But his love of the stage never left him, and in place of riding the bus for extended tours he scheduled one-off shows here and there. He reconstituted and expanded the Waylors with a horn section, fiddle player and backing vocalist and focused them on live performance. This January 2000 concert at the Ryman Auditorium wasn't Jennings' last (that came the following year in Kansas City), but with cameras and tape recorders rolling it as a something of a final hurrah, a grand celebration played out before a hugely appreciative audience.

Jennings remained seated throughout the show, but with his crack band pumping out hits, obscurities, covers and new songs, he remained quite robust. His voice showed feint signs of age on the edges, but the core of its authority, power and charisma was still completely intact. Though lauded as an elder statesman in Nashville, and passing away just two years later, Jennings was as artistically vital as at any point in his illustrious career. He treated this show with the same ferocity with which he'd rewritten the playbook for live country music. Opening with the fiery declaration "Never Say Die," the set list was filled out with a deft mix of classics, rarities, personally-loved covers and a few new tunes. This was a working artist whose creativity and drive lasted until the very end.

Much like his pioneering bands of the 1970s, Jennings' revitalized combo was a twangy country group with the power and presence of a rock band. The three-piece horn section added sharp accents, guitarist Reggie Young stood in for Jennings on lead with grace, and steel player Robby Turner (who also added mandolin and guitar) provided a flavorful presence throughout. Jennings was a natural showman, with down-to-earth patter between songs that jokingly took aim at his own infirmities ("I can still kick a** - you just gotta bring 'em up here"). He graciously shared the spotlight with guests John Anderson (for a super fine version of "Waymore's Blues" that clearly tickles Jennings), Montgomery-Gentry ("I'm a Ramblin' Man"), Travis Tritt ("I've Always Been Crazy"), and his wife Jessi Colter. A shot of Jennings gazing livingly at Colter as she sings "I'm Not Lisa" speaks volumes about their relationship, as does their duet on "Storms Never Last."

Additional highlights include a medley of Waylon & Willie tunes that found Jennings imitating Nelson's nasal delivery, a pairing of "Amanda" and "A Couple More Years" that hung emotionally on Jennings' mortality, the rare Shel Silverstein collaboration "It's the World's Gone Crazy (Cotillion)," the soulful "Shakin' the Blues," a cover of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain," and the never-give-up "Goin' Down Rockin'." Two staples of Jennings' live shows, The Band's "The Weight" and The Outlaws "Can't You See" brought the set to a stirring finish.

Columbia previously released 14 tracks from this show on 200's "Never Say Die" via the subsidiary Lucky Dog label. This 1-DVD, 2-CD set reproduces the show in sequence from the opening curtain to the final thank you. The DVD includes both stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and in addition to the concert footage, there's a snappily produced 32-minute making-of featurette that includes interviews (Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, Chet Atkins, Travis Tritt, Billy Joe Shaver, Jessi Colter, Jack Clement, Kris Kristofferson), photos, rehearsal footage. Rich Kienzle's liner notes are complemented by superb photos, rounding out a package that provides superb memories of one of country music's giants. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com] December 14, 2007

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