Reba's concert fills new coliseum to capacity
By Gary Carter
With a goal of a half-million dollars in mind, Reba McEntire and scores of volunteers set out to endow Reba's Ranch House for years to come.
Monday night's Reba concert filled the new Choctaw Coliseum in Durant to capacity and organizers say they're very close to reaching their lofty goal.
Dr. Mackey Watkins, CEO of Texoma Medical Center, said the majority of the Memorial Day events surrounding the Reba concert was underwritten by major, local sponsors. As a result, much of what was made off the concert and golf tournament goes directly to the endowment.
Several times during Reba's concert, of which an estimated 6,000 people were in the house to see, the lady of honor stopped the show to tell personal stories about TMC, about how she became involved in the fund-raising nearly 20 years ago, and about how much the North Texas and Southern Oklahoma area counts on volunteers to help "keep folks healthy."
Joe Nichols, a rising star in country music, took the stage first Monday night, backed up by the vocals and guitar sounds of Denison native Brian Spradlin. Ladies in the audience swooned as he played some of the number one hits that garnered him three Grammy nominations. But halfway through the opening act, Nichols' drummer became ill and half his band left the stage.
"We're going back to where it all started, in the bars," Nichols proclaimed, as he pulled up a stool and Spradlin brought out the acoustical guitar. The two never missed a beat, brining sultry sounds to the lyrics of George Jones and Merle Haggard. While he called for the audience to keep his bandmate in their prayers, Nichols brought the crowd to its feet when his time on the stage was through.
Reba swarmed in to a medley of her number one hits, dating back to her meteoric rise in country music nearly 30 years ago.
With favorites such as "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," "Sisters," "Somebody," and "I'll Be," the crowd laughed and cried with the star as she wove tales of her family life in rural Oklahoma and her tight bond with her friends and siblings.
Keeping the show about the music, Reba never took a break, didn't change clothes or sets and gave the crowd a near-two-hour concert.
Thunderous applause brought her and the band back out for an encore, as she donned a red shirt and sang her most notable hit, "Fancy."
While she stopped short of saying when exactly she'll be back in Texoma for another Memorial Day concert, she did promise to "do this again just as soon as we can," and the crowd followed with a rousing ovation.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
With a goal of a half-million dollars in mind, Reba McEntire and scores of volunteers set out to endow Reba's Ranch House for years to come.
Monday night's Reba concert filled the new Choctaw Coliseum in Durant to capacity and organizers say they're very close to reaching their lofty goal.
Dr. Mackey Watkins, CEO of Texoma Medical Center, said the majority of the Memorial Day events surrounding the Reba concert was underwritten by major, local sponsors. As a result, much of what was made off the concert and golf tournament goes directly to the endowment.
Several times during Reba's concert, of which an estimated 6,000 people were in the house to see, the lady of honor stopped the show to tell personal stories about TMC, about how she became involved in the fund-raising nearly 20 years ago, and about how much the North Texas and Southern Oklahoma area counts on volunteers to help "keep folks healthy."
Joe Nichols, a rising star in country music, took the stage first Monday night, backed up by the vocals and guitar sounds of Denison native Brian Spradlin. Ladies in the audience swooned as he played some of the number one hits that garnered him three Grammy nominations. But halfway through the opening act, Nichols' drummer became ill and half his band left the stage.
"We're going back to where it all started, in the bars," Nichols proclaimed, as he pulled up a stool and Spradlin brought out the acoustical guitar. The two never missed a beat, brining sultry sounds to the lyrics of George Jones and Merle Haggard. While he called for the audience to keep his bandmate in their prayers, Nichols brought the crowd to its feet when his time on the stage was through.
Reba swarmed in to a medley of her number one hits, dating back to her meteoric rise in country music nearly 30 years ago.
With favorites such as "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," "Sisters," "Somebody," and "I'll Be," the crowd laughed and cried with the star as she wove tales of her family life in rural Oklahoma and her tight bond with her friends and siblings.
Keeping the show about the music, Reba never took a break, didn't change clothes or sets and gave the crowd a near-two-hour concert.
Thunderous applause brought her and the band back out for an encore, as she donned a red shirt and sang her most notable hit, "Fancy."
While she stopped short of saying when exactly she'll be back in Texoma for another Memorial Day concert, she did promise to "do this again just as soon as we can," and the crowd followed with a rousing ovation.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
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