Alan Jackson, Wade Hayes and Emilio two-stepped their way into Carbondale, missing a beat and tripping on their boots the entire way. Jackson, the 1995 TNN Country Music Album of the Year winner brought a few bright spots to an otherwise lackluster show.

The highlight of the evening surfaced as a blue-jeaned, denim-clad Jackson took the stage in an explosion of video and flash. Using his hit song Chattahoochee and a wall of video images cycling from a water-skiing Jackson to the arena crowd as his background, Jackson was finally able to bring an otherwise dull crowd momentarily to its feet.

Looking as if he were either a little road-worn or bored himself, Jackson waded through the opening numbers, relying heavily on the videos to keep the crowd distracted from his tired playing.

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Jackson settled in halfway through his hour-long set, giving the crowd a feel for what it had been missing with an entertaining unplugged bluegrass number, highlighting both the band’s talent and his own singing.

By sprinkling a dash of unreleased material here and popular favorites there, Jackson provided meager spice to an otherwise bland evening.

After the first of two lengthy intermissions, Wade Hayes took the stage and continued in the lackadaisical manner the evening’s performers seemed to be stuck in. Often appearing as if he were just going through the motions, Hayes seemed disconnected from the crowd.

As the evening wore on, the crowd and the performers both appeared uninspired as they struggled to get their collective engines going.

More often than not, instrumental solos are guaranteed to generate a little pep to even the most sedate crowds. Unfortunately, Hayes failed to let his band have some of the spotlight, focusing instead on his singing for the entire set.

After introducing a new song, It’s Over My Head and I’m Six Feet Tall, it became obvious that the repetitive nature of Hayes’ music would prevail as it was difficult to distinguish fresh, new material from stale performing.

Setting a tone for the show with his special mutation of country music, tejano singer Emilio struggled to excite a concert crowd already struggling to get excited. His covers of Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately and the Eagles Hotel California did little to save a set that had difficulty generating a big concert feel.

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Dancing his way through the eight-song set, Emilio’s Spanish rendition of the hit Life is Good was a high he unfortunately left unchallenged. While Emilio’s vocals were strong and emotional, the group as a whole lacked the certain energy that opening bands need to set the tone for an evening of fun and music.

Due to the sometimes bored, bland performances from its stars, the show ultimately fell short in fulfilling its potential. A show with this much promise should be able to provide more than a few memorable songs from three obviously talented artists.