Gary Kyle’s performance at the Keller Williams free concert last Friday night proved that this Kingwood native’s got talent – and a strong local following in his hometown.
So many people turned out at Kings Harbor that they had to close the street in front of the Plaza to accommodate the crowd. Kyle’s many friends brought out their families to see the popular, Texas country singer-songwriter and Kingwood High School grad who now hails from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
From the start of the concert, it was obvious that the audience knew the material played by Kyle and The No Standards Band. Several of the ladies in the front row sang along to the first song, “Her,” off of Kyle’s first CD.
Kyle, dressed in a plaid, flannel shirt and a grey cap, encouraged the crowd by saying: “There’s a dance floor up here. Come on up.” But most of the audience decided that the dancing would have to wait until the sun went down.
In his second song titled “Livin’,” Kyle asked: “If you could live your life over, would you do it the same way again?” He answered his own question, saying: “It’s good to be home.”
Before the next song, he teased his band about being bothered by the heat: “We have some Yankees in the band who don’t know Houston humidity!” He went on to sing about his roots with the song “Houston” which he wrote after he moved away from the city.
At the band’s break, Roland Duhon representing the agents at Keller Williams Realty Northeast introduced the band sponsor, Thomas Markle Jewelers, and the guest charity, Blue Star Mothers. The President of the BSM Houston Chapter Melanie Willis came on stage and explained that the organization is “a sisterhood of moms whose sons or daughters are in the military.” She then introduced several Blue Star Moms, who told where their child was stationed in the military.
Texas State Representative Dan Huberty was next on stage. He acknowledged the good works of the Blue Star Mothers: “These are moms who live their lives not sure if their son or daughter will come back to us.” He challenged the crowd to participate in the charity raffle or make a donation to the organization that serves those in the military.
By that point in the concert, Blue Star Moms had already collected four large containers of food items to send to the troops from generous concert-goers. Willis told the audience: “It tugs at your heart strings, and makes us very proud, when people who don’t even know our children support them.” She then introduced some special guests: Eddie Pierce, who had just returned from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with his mom, Debbie.
Kyle then came back to the stage to sing more country tunes about love and loss. The cover tune “Stand by me” packed the dance floor for the first time that night. Kyle countered with his own “Drinkin’ up a Storm” followed by the title track of his latest CD and hot new single: “Turn This Life Around.” He followed up with an audience favorite that was a top single of his several years ago: “Late Night Run Around.” The band’s last song of the set was one that Journey made famous: “Don’t Stop Believing.”
The Blue Star Moms were back on stage at the next break for the rest of the raffle drawing. Willis noted that the group also supports the Gold Star Moms, who have lost a loved one in action, the USO Wounded Warriors program and veterans’ projects. She asked for entrants for the BSM annual golf tournament on Aug. 8th at Wildcat Golf Club, which is put on by Keller Williams’ Northeast agent Doug Erdy.
For his third and final set, Kyle decided to sing some cover tunes from his “favorite genre of country” – the ‘80s. The songs included: “Swinging” and “Drivin’ my Life Away.” He ended the concert by heading into the crowd to spend some time re-connecting with his many friends and fans who stayed until the final note.
Keller Williams’ faces in the concert crowd included: Judy Hopkins, Donna and Roland Duhon, Doug Erdy, Terri and Bob Blewett, Linda Bridges, Diana Coleman, Pauline Symon and Karen Fitzgerald.