POP MUSIC REVIEW : Country Fest: High Marks, Low Turnout

If you’re just counting heads, Saturday’s opening half of the two-day Country Fest ’89 was a colossal flop. Measured against last year’s turnout of more than 30,000 a day, the estimated 6,000 people in attendance left stretches of the vast Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale virtually deserted.

Musically, however, the program provided an interesting mix of more than 30 knowns (including Ray Price, Roger Miller and Juice Newton) and unknowns from the country world and its rock and folk-influenced tangents.

Ironically, the poor turnout--attributed in part by organizer Milt Petty to lack of a promotion budget--led directly to the artistic highlight of the 10-hour event.

Due to the lack of box-office receipts, Petty said he was unable to make a payment to a sound equipment operator at a contracted time during the afternoon. The operator then ordered the plugs pulled and the fest’s four music stages stood silent.

While Petty and the operator huddled, some of the musicians tried to make the best of a bad situation using a little down-home resourcefulness.

On one stage, the very un-down-home Ethel and the Shameless Hussies (a trio of country comediennes), went ahead undaunted and un-miked with a few dozen fans gathered up to the stage.

Near a second stage, Guy Clark, a veteran Austin singer-songwriter, was joined by New York folk-blues guitarist David Bromberg for an unscheduled jam session and sing-along down on the lawn for about the same size gathering.

With power restored about half an hour later, the pair were joined on stage by Jerry Jeff Walker (scheduled to perform by himself later on another stage) for a few songs, with performers and fans alike clearly pumped up by the spontaneity that had been forced upon them.

To top it off, an inspired Michelle Shocked followed with the day’s revelation: Heretofore an activist folkie, the wispy Texan made the giant leap to activist rocker , fronting a smoking band led by producer-guitarist Pete Anderson. The usually shy Shocked, whose solo performances had changed from personable to predictable during the last year, proved an unlikely natural as she giddily rocked out on the likes of “If Love Was a Train” and several enticing new songs.

Few of the 6,000 even saw that, though. Most settled in at the Silver Bullet stage, which featured the biggest name attractions of the day.

That left only about 75 people at each of the other stages where the day’s high points were unfolding, though larger crowds might have made the acoustic goings-on impractical.