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As a rule, I have to respect people like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. However, I have never really enjoyed modern country music, CMT, or their respective awards shows, which feature Nashvillian suburb-dwellers with giant cowboy hats and boots.

That said, Willie Nelson is one of those huge icons of American music that I can't help but respect, and when word began spreading that he would be giving a free concert in our area, I just had to go. I recalled that Nelson was currently touring the Midwestern states for "Rock Against Bush," but why visit Georgia? (After all, our state has been politically unimportant for at least 10 years.) It turned out that the entire CMT crew was there, complete with flying cameras and "Homecoming" T-shirts.

The logic of CMT's scheme soon became evident: Willie Nelson is from a small town. Likewise, Jimmy Carter is also from a small town. People in Sumter County like Jimmy Carter, like free concerts, and have nothing else to do on Thursday nights. Instantly, a made-for-TV crowd large enough to whiz cameras over would convene outside Plains High School. I arrived with my friend (who shall be renamed "Danthony Avis" to protect his identity) at around 7pm, and we soon located the perfect cloud of smoke from which to view the concert.

The Outlaw did not disappoint. He breezed through all of his classic and most famous songs- "Hello Walls," "On the Road Again," "You Were Always on my Mind," and "Pancho & Lefty," to name a few. His newest hit, "Beer for my Horses" is the type of song that prevents me from being a huge country fan; nevertheless, the delivery by the Outlaw Band was nearly perfect. The highlight of the evening came when Willie brought the Carters on stage, began playing gospel songs, and invited the crowd to sing along.

>From my vantage point inside an ever-expanding pillar of smoke, I began observing some of the people standing around me. Some sensed that the concert was coming to a close and took the opportunity to rescue their cars from the parking lot. Others fidgeted or inspected the ground. Still others contributed to my particular smoke cloud without pause. But a final group of people had gleaming eyes, filled with the joy that only gospel songs like "Will the Circle be Unbroken?" or "I'll Fly Away" can bring. And that moment alone made the entire night- even the risk of brown lung disease- well worth the trip that "Danthony" and I made to Plains that night. At the end of
the night, the stage was empty and we were finding a shortcut home. As for President Carter- we take it for granted that we'll see him around town again. But seeing Willie Nelson in action was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

CMT Homecoming: President Jimmy Carter in Plains will air on December 20 at 6:00 PM and throughout the holiday season. CMT is a division of MTV Networks, Inc.

Freddie Odom 12/18/2004