After his fourth song in front of a packed Kleinhans Music Hall on Friday night, black-clad country legend Merle Haggard stood at center stage, frustrated. Because of two replacement amps that were unexpectedly forced into service, the 76-year-old, working-class hero was concerned about his performance sound. So, with the same earnestness found throughout the liner notes of his more than 70 studio albums, the man known simply as “The Hag” leaned into his mic, looked to the crowd and played it straight. “After this show,” he said,...
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