Clint Black brings 35 years of ‘Killin’ Time’ to Visalia, California

Well, Top Shelf Music country fans, it was a pleaser to see another country music icon from the good ol’ days still having what it takes to put on a satisfying show. Hitting the road to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Killin’ Time, Clint Black sold out the Fox Theatre in Visalia, California. Before I tell you about how traveling back in time with a 90s country super star was, let me tell you about a 90s country girl.

Northern California native Sofia Claire opened up the show with a sound reminiscent of early country music days, heard in one of her original songs titled “Cowgirl Complicated”. If you like George Strait, go give the song a listen. Sofia and her band played very well, performing a number of covers with some original tracks — one of which caught my attention by the name of “Whiskey Shot”. 

For her being an aspiring artist from California, I am hoping to get another chance to see her live soon.

The now fully packed theatre had everyone in their seats by then; it may be due to me turning 33 soon, but I’m liking these mellow, intimate shows more and more. Alright, moving on to the “Better Man” singer Clint Black, another country artist I have my grandparents to thank for having his cassette tapes in the Ford truck of my Papa’s.

From top to bottom, the good and the bad Clint Black performed the Killin’ Time album in honor of its 35^th anniversary. Before he kicked it into the full gear, the band started off with “The Shoes You’re Wearing”, followed by “Summer’s Coming” before the big fan mega-hit “State of Mind”. The harmonica in the opening of “State of Mind” is such a powerful moment; it got the crowd in the mood and, as the lyrics go, “Ain’t it funny how a melody can bring back a memory, take you to another place in time, completely change your state of mind”.

As Clint Back took us back to 1989 with his first album, we got to hear about how one of my favorites ”Nothing’s News”. Clint shares how his father told him he hasn’t done much living to be a songwriter at the age of 22, but he was destined to prove him otherwise. Throughout the show, there were many visual effects to take the songs up a notch, as well as photos of the band throughout the course of their career. Toward the end of the set, they covered the Waylon Jennings song “Are you Sure Hank Done It This Way” and did a fair job at it! As the show came to a end, it was well-fitting to do “Nothin’ But The Tail Lights” to leave the stage before coming back for the encore… but I’ll keep those tracks for you to find out when you catch one of his shows before the tour is over!

Photography by Tré Torres

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