Arts ©Entertainment
Monday, April 3, 1995 Page 9
Hog wild
Jeff Haller/DN
Hank Williams Jr. performs at Pershing Auditorium Saturday night.
Williams goes beyond country
By Jeff Zeleny
Concert Critic
Hank Williams Jr. came to Lin
coln on his Hog Wild ’95 tour Sat
urday night being rowdy and ended
his stop 95 minutes later beingwild.
Williams’ Monday Night Foot
ball promotional piece, “All My
Rowdy Friends are Coming Over
Tonight,” kicked off his first visit
to Lincoln since 1988.
The country music icon left the
stage after a heavy-hitting version
of “Wild Thing” brought the
Pershing Auditorium crowd of
3,153 ton climax.
Williams didn’t waste much of
his 1 l/i-hour show with idle chit
chat between songs .But he did know
how to appeal to the Nebraska au
dience.
When Williams told the crowd
he came to Lincoln dressed inapair
of University of Alabama shoes,
the Husker faithful hissed. But the
audience quickly changed its tune
when Williams said he bought a
Nebraska National Championship
cap Saturday.
“You know what those tennis
shoes and cap have in common?”
Williams asked. “They both beat
the shit out of the University of
Miami.”
“You know what those tennis shoes and cap
have in common? They both beat the shit out
of the University of Miami. ”
m
HANK WILLIAMS, JR.
country singer
McBride and the Ride, led by
Terry McBride, opened the show.
The group got off to a slow start
during die 40-minute opening act.
The group, known for its tight
harmonies, picked up the pace on
two trademark ballads “Just One
Night” and “Sacred Ground.”
Williams, a five-time country
music entertainer of the year, per
formed with incredible energy
throughout his lengthy show. Many
times his music went beyond coun
try into classic rock and bordered
onarapbeat.
For about 3 0 minutes during the
middle of the show, Williams’
seven-piece band left the stage. He
sat down with his acoustic guitar
and strummed familiar ballads such
as “There’s a Tear in My Beer,” a
song he released with his father in
January 1989.
Williams’vast musical abilities
were showcased during his solo act.
However, at times his deep bari
tone voice was difficult to under
stand. Even though the performance -
was superb, a few members of the
audience got restless during the
depressing, heartfelt ballads and
began to leave the show.
The crowd was quickly aroused
when Williams’ band returned to
the stage and segued into hard coun
try with heavy steel guitar sounds.
His 1987 hit, “Bom to Boogie,”
brought the crowd to its feet.
While Williams isn’t a country
music sex symbol like Gint Black,
Gay Walker or John Michael Mont
gomery, his historical musical tal
ent and ability to capture an audi
ence for 1 1/2 hours is unbeatable.
::-*—
NU chooses Chesnutt
to lead marching red
By Josh Wimmer
Staff (Reporter
Rod Chesnutt had a pretty good
birthday this year.
The University of Nebraska
Lincoln School of Music called
Chesnutt on his birthday, March
13, to offer him the position of
Comhusker marching band direc
tor.
“It was a great birthday
present,” he said.
Chesnutt, a graduate assistant
at Florida State University with a
doctorate in music education, was
one of three final candidates for
the position, said Larry Mallett,
School of Music director. All three
candidates were equally qualified,
Mallett said,but Chesnutt wascho
sen after a rigorous interview pro
cess.
The candidates conducted the
university’s wind ensemble and
concert band, gave a presentation
before a class of graduate stu
dents, spoke with several music
students and interviewed with fac
ulty members, Mallett said.
Chesnutt said he was impressed
with UNL, the faculty and music
students. He looks forward to liv
ing and working in Lincoln, he
said, and can’t wait to work with
the Comhusker marching band.
“Naturally, I’m excited,” he
said. “It’s a great opportunity far
“It’s a great
opportunity for me to
work with one of the
finest marching
bands in the
country. ”
m
ROD CHESNUTT
New Comhusker marching
band director
me to work with one of the finest
marching bands in the country.”
Ghesnutt plans to move to Ne
braska in late July, and will begin
practices with the marching band
in August, he said.
As director of the marching
band, Chesnutt’s duties will in
clude conducting the marching
band and other athletic bands,
Mallett said. Chesnutt will also
assume the title of assistant direc
tor of bands, Mallett said.
The former director of the
marching band, Jay Kloecker, wi 11
assume the title of director of
bands, Mallett said;- P p ' •
Vv •-!*» g J . i'i. V..'-- ••***
Inconceivable plot
explodes this tank
By Jeff Randall
Film Critic
When I first saw the previews
for “Tank Girl,” I tried to assure
myself that the images I saw were
an aberration from the actual film
—there was no way that anyone
would allow Lori Petty to be that
annoying for a full 110 minutes.
I was wrong.
As the title character, Petty goes
on a full-scale wisecrackingromp
that, for the most part, fails to
impress or enthrall.
Based on the comic book of
the same name, “Tank Girl” takes
place in a post-apocalyptic world
where water is the only truly valu
able resource (a comet collided
with Earth and it hasn’t rained
since).
Petty and a group of her friends
live in a large house in California
with their own supply of water,
and things seem to be goingpretty
well. But then the Water and
Power bad guys break in, kiH
nearly everyone and take our hero
ine back with them to the WAP
headquarters.
' There Petty meets the ruthless
leader ofWAP, portrayed by the
oft-convincing psychotic
Malcolm McDowell.
Petty escapes from
McDowell’sclutches.stealsatank
(hence her adopted moniker) and
tries to get even with the forces of
evil whokilled and kidnapped her
friends.
But plot seems to be the last
concern for the makers of this
film, who apparently believe that
a series of animation sequences,
stills from the ‘Tank Girl” comic
bode and Petty’s nonstop witty
Film: Tank Girl
Director: Rachel Talalay
Stars: Lori Petty, Malcolm
McDowell, Ice-T, Naomi
Watts
Rating: R (language,
violence, brief nudity)
Grade: C
Five Words: Tank chick’s
schtick sinks flick.
comebacks will make up for any
lack of a believable or interesting
storyline.
In part, they were right. The
filmlooks impressive. The sprung
from-the-pages motif may not be
a new idea, but director Rachel
Talalay makes it work incredibly
well. Unfortunately, Petty’s con
tinuous wisecrackingloses its ap
peal after about five minutes.
Ice-T, in an apparent stroke of
desperation, plays a half-kanga
roo, half-human creature who
helps Petty in her struggle against
WAP. Ice-Ts appearance in this
film has completely shattered my
previously held respect for him as
an artist. It was just humiliating to
watch.
Overall, “Tank Girl” is a visu
ally impressive but emotionally
empty film that aims few the MTV
generation in ways I never could
have imagined. It is instant grati
fication at its best with little or no
residual effects. In other words, it
should do tremendously well at
the box office.