Tanya Tucker is a Refreshment to the Sweltering Day at Two Step Inn Festival 2023

Who better to help kick off Two Step Inn’s opening day than Tanya Tucker?

Tucker seemed to be on a mission this Saturday afternoon, setting out to show off her Lonestar style, and in turn, show everyone a Texas-sized good time.

Kicking off her performance with her classic ‘Texas (When I Die)’ to a roaring crowd, the Texas-bred star strutted onto the stage against a rollicking riff. Winged in fringe and fashioned in sparkle-encrusted boots, she was a honky tonk vision; her effortless performance traversing her career-spanning catalog with 50 years worth of country hits.

While a country mainstay since the 1970s, Tucker was launched back into the spotlight with the 2019 release of her new album While I’m Livin’. After her Two Step Inn performance, it’s a wonder how she could ever go unnoticed in the first place.

Her hour-long set saw her rattle off chart-topper after chart-topper, including the steel-textured ‘Hangin’ In’, the bittersweet ‘Love Me Like You Used To’, the spirited ‘Hard Luck’, and the tearjerking ‘Two Sparrows in a Hurricane'.

While she recently announced a forthcoming album entitled Sweet Western Sound, she kept any new music close to her chest. Nevertheless, her performance showcased a too-long-forgotten legend taking on her second act with edge, style and wisdom.

Sassy and energetic, she traded conversation with the crowd throughout, laying down tidbits of advice, passing out samples from her new tequila brand and taking shots of the liquor herself. She even sashayed and shimmied across the stage whenever a song would allow, which they often did.

She spent her performance laughing, exchanging “I love yous", sharing stories of her Texas past and just having a great time. Toward the end of her set, she told the audience, “It’s always good to be home". She seemed truly honest, having been visibly touched by the outbursts of applause after every song.

Her performance came to an end with a sweetly sung ‘Amazing Grace’, all before delving into her biggest hit, ‘Delta Dawn’, with the crowd singing along to her every word.

Tucker was a refreshment to the sweltering day, and the overall perfect howdy to a weekend under western skies.

Photos by Laura Ord

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