Missouri Theater in Columbia, Missouri
February 12, 1998
By Nancy Chitty

My son, Jeff, and I arrived in Columbia at 4:30 p.m. with three hours to spare before show time. We drove down 9th Street in front of the theater and spotted the RITS Ambassador in the alley. With no place to park, we headed for the Shakespeare Pizza parking lot which joined the alley. We parked our RITSmobile right next to the RITS Ambassador. We played RITS cassettes and Too Slim came out to get some things from the storage department. I turned up the cassette a notch and Slim stood up, looked all around, then looked back at us, pointed to his ear, and gave a big "thumbs up"! I walked around to the theater and found out where we could legally park for the show. We got directions, parked, and walked back to the theater one hour before show time. We found our reserved seats - Center A 6 and 7 - front row, center stage. We went back out to the lobby to look over the merchandise table, and Ranger Doug (in street clothes) came out of the office and walked through the lobby. Doug saw me first and said he was glad I could make it to the show and patted me on the shoulder. I sided up to him and asked him to do my song, "I Always Do" and he only said MAYBE - no promises.

At 7:30 p.m., at long last, Show # 3,702 (# 11 for me) was underway. RITS opened with "Texas Plains" followed by introductions. Slim with a Rogaine problem, Joey the "Cowpolka King", Woody Paul the "King of the Cowboy Fiddlers" and Ranger Doug "the Hormone Hurricane". They then played "How the Yodel was Born" (and, of course, I created a noisy scene when Ranger Doug finished out the yodel!), "Miss Molly", "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and PALINDROME

They continued the show with instrumental time on the "Farr Away Stomp" followed by a Spanish song from the COWBOYS IN LOVE album, "La Malaguena". What a beautiful song!! Woody took off with "Sioux City Sue - her hair is blue, her eyes are red. Joey and the audience got into the act with "Hoop de Doo" then Ranger Doug did his "Night Riding Songs" from his solo Ranger Doug album. The whole crew broke into "Rawhide" and Slim starts his Pssst Haw routine. He asked Ranger Doug if he did that. Ranger Doug's reply was, "Of course not!" Slim asked him what he did and RD breaks into his YODEL. (I go nuts and yell, Yeeeee hawwww. Slim says, Well there Ranger Doug, you have a taker!) After that fiasco, Ranger Doug, Too Slim, Woody Paul, and Joey gather around the campfire to do "Cowboy Camp Meeting" . They finished the first half of the show with "Amber Eyes", Woody's "Arms of Love" , "Trail Tip Song" and "Riding the Winds of the West".

RITS started the second half off with the Gene Autry songs, "Back in the Saddle" (R Doug), "Silver Haired Daddy" (Slim), and "Riding Down the Canyon" (Woody). The two Kings (Woody and Joey) performed the "Clarinet Polka" without a Clarinet!!

I had never seen them perform a Celtic part of the show. Ranger Doug performed "Annie Laurie". I still get chills from that song! They all joined in for an Irish jig. .N

They took questions and requests and, of course, Slim finished with "Surfin' USA". They slowed the pace down with the old favorite, "Cool Water". Then Ranger Doug said THIS IS A SPECIAL REQUEST - and he glanced down at me and did "I Always Do" . HE really does have a way of making his fans feel special!!! They ended the show with "Ghost Riders", Slim's Varmit Dance routine, "When Pay Day Rolls Around" and "Happy Trails".

For the encore, they did, "That's All Folks", "You are my Sunshine", and the beautiful Bob Nolan Song, "He Walks With the Wild and the Lonely" . They all came to the front of the stage right in front of us for that song. Joey -- Woody -- Doug and Slim We waited patiently to get autographs and hugs - then Jeff and I started for home. At 1:30 a.m., I fell into bed and dreamed of my favorite cowboys - who were heading to Cincinnati for the taping of the RRT shows.

And here are a few more pictures-- from a show in Warrensburg MO

and Joey

and "Surfin' USA"

and rope tricks? (not up yet)

and Autographs AND

andNANCY with "Riders in the Sky"