Gig review: Kenny Rogers, Edinburgh

Although Kenny Rogers, the most recent encumbent of the Sunday afternoon “Legends” slot at Glastonbury, has intimated that he will probably give up international touring after this latest worldwide jaunt, the 74-year-old is not done yet, with a new album in the works and talk about “the first fifty years” of his career.

Kenny Rogers - Usher Hall, Edinburgh

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The next fifty years are unlikely to be radically different. Rogers has a slick showbiz schtick and he’s gonna stick by it.

So, after starting with “the two loudest songs I know”, he engaged in his customary crowd-baiting comedy routine, treating them slightly mean, yet keeping them very keen and culminating with his habitual offer of ten dollars to a bloke in the front row for every Rogers song he can recognise.

Housekeeping out of the way, Rogers and his band zipped through a set most in the audience would have no trouble recognising, even a couple of would-be acid-fried First Edition numbers Rogers appeared to regard as curious ancient history.

His somewhat arthritic voice was more exposed on a medley of gloopy ballads from the mawkish end of the country spectrum, on to which he poured further sentiment with a photo montage of his twin boys.

But the crowd were here for a country party. They made their own fun in the company of Ruby, Coward of the County and The Gambler and took over entirely on a boozy Lucille, before the reliable cheese course of Lady and Islands In The Stream.