Steve Wariner Concert Gives Fans All They Want – And More

Steve Wariner hit a home run.

No surprise. The Noblesville native who has performed at the biggest venues all over the world came home last week. He gave a tremendous performance at Carmel’s magnificent Palladium to a full house. Two standing ovations were evidence of just how well he did.

The concert began shortly after 8 and my lovely bride and I didn’t leave until after 11. We loved every minute.

The place was full with Noblesville people, friends, family and simply fans of the country & western superstar. Wariner has 14 No. 1 hits, over 30 Top 10 singles, four Grammy Awards and three CMA Awards. He is in multiple Hall of Fames and is a member of the renowned Grand Ole Opry. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business from Dottie West to Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Glen Campbell, Clint Black, Diamond Rio, Brad Paisley, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr. and many, many others.

He told the crowd that his hero was Chet Atkins. Generally acknowledged as one of the best guitar players in the world, Atkins honored Wariner by naming him a Certified Guitar Player. Wariner is one of only four people so chosen by the Country Gentleman. The other three are the late Jerry Reed, Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles.

Speaking of Atkins, Wariner sprinkled a lot of personal stories throughout the evening. He said he was playing a show with Atkins and handling bass guitar. At one point, Atkins said in a low voice only Wariner could hear – “Has anyone ever told you you are the world’s best bass player?” Wariner kept playing but looked at Atkins and said “no.” Atkins deadpanned back, “Do you ever wonder why?”

The crowd loved it.

The crowd also loved a short song he sang. He said it was inspired when he was back home around Thanksgiving time and went for a drive. He then launched into a little ditty about “doggone roundabouts.”

Yup, the crowd in Carmel – home of roundabouts – loved it as well and roared with laughter!

Wariner used multiple guitars throughout the evening, no doubt including the G6120T, a guitar Gretsch manufactured and called the Steve Wariner Signature Nashville Gentleman.

Throughout the show, Wariner repeatedly said how much he appreciated those in attendance and how much he loved being back home. No doubt he shares a fan appreciation in all his performances around the world – but one got the feeling that playing a venue just a few miles from where he grew up was indeed special.

After the show, Wariner was talking with different friends and family backstage. He talked about his parents and grandparents with people who knew him during the time when – as he has described it – people would wait for their paycheck on Fridays so they could go to Kenley’s and buy groceries.

From humble beginnings to the very top of the music industry, Wariner has been there, done that and left his legion of fans better off in the process. Here’s hoping the guy from the NHS class of 1973 continues doing it for a long time to come.

Two cents, which is about how much Timmons said his columns are worth, appears periodically in The Times. Timmons is the chief executive officer of Sagamore News Media, the company that owns The Noblesville Times. He is also a proud Noblesville High School graduate and can be contacted at [email protected].