Rhonda Vincent and the Rage at Hogtown Opry
For the third episode of Hogtown Opry, promoter Bill Killeen brought in one of the biggest names in bluegrass, Grammy winners Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage. The Queen of Bluegrass, who was admitted to the Grand Ole Opry in 2020 and has released 11 studio albums, brought her mandolin and her excellent band to University Auditorium on the UF campus and played before an appreciative and involved crowd.
The Hogtown Opry Band, also known as Patchwork, provided a great opening set. Fun covers of “Nowhere Man,” “Locomotion,” and “You’re the One” were combined with some fine western and swing tunes (“Navajo Trail,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing”) and some originals that showcased their fine harmonies.
Rhonda and the Rage kicked off their set with, of all things, an Olivia Newton-John cover (“Please Mister Please”). A cut from their upcoming album is a cover of “City of New Orleans” and has been nominated for Video of the Year at the upcoming IBMA awards in September.
That was followed up by one of Vincent’s best known original songs, “Kentucky Borderline,” which was followed with something unexpected… an excellent bluegrass reworking of the chestnut “Unchained Melody.” The set also included a medley of well-known traditional songs (including “Rawhide,” “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” and others) that give her band of remarkable pickers a chance to show off. Flatpicker and excellent vocalist Zack Arnold sang an original song, as did bass player Mickey Harris (“Tractor for Sale”). The newest member of the band, dobro player Jacob Metz, played some very tasteful backups and added some fiery breaks on faster songs. Banjoist Aaron McDaris is as solid as any player around, and Adam Haynes teamed up with Vincent on a blazing twin fiddle version of “Devil’s Dream.”
Two additional fine covers, Alan Jackson’s “Dallas” and Loretta Lynn’s “Blue Kentucky Girl,” rounded out the set, which ended with an a capella gospel song with all the band members singing. The new album, scheduled for release in a few weeks, will include a number of interesting covers, including “Country Roads” and, according to Vincent, will also include a 7-minute cover of “Wagon Wheel” featuring Alison Krauss. Dolly Parton is also on the new album.
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage have been touring for decades, and they are polished and professional entertainers. Many top bluegrass bands today tend to stick to the traditional material, while Vincent provides a great mix of traditional and out-of-the-blue cover songs from other genres. That makes for a fun and diverse evening, and the audience loved the show. We’re hoping the Hogtown Opry will continue to provide more fine acoustic music from national acts for the north central Florida area.
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