Shipshewana, IN (Jan. 18) – Outlaw country music returns to Shipshewana on Saturday night, with a co-headlining show featuring Creed Fisher and Frank Foster.
Outlaw country is a blend of elements of traditional country with a mix of rebellious spirit and southern rock, challenging the norm of the Nashville establishment. All of that and more visited the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center on Saturday night as a rowdy crowd came to this quite little Amish town in northeast Indiana.
Billed as a co-headlining show between Fisher and Foster, a flip of a coin determines the night’s order of events. For this evening, Foster takes the lead going on first, with Fisher cleaning up and closing out the show as part of his The Stars And Stripes Tour 2025.
Frank Foster starts the show with a series of barn-burnin’ tunes that get the crowd on their feet and singing along with the Merle Haggard cover, “Waymore’s Blues” and his own “Ridin’ For The Brand” and “Rowdy Reputation.”
Frank began playing professionally in 2011 and has had a great run doing so as an independent from the beginning. He writes, records and distributes his music on his own, along with managing and scheduling. He has been friends with Creed Fisher for many years but has never performed together live before this weekend’s run of shows. Just one week ago, on Jan. 10th, their duet single “Some Of Us Still Do” was released as a single to all platforms for download. As Foster begins to sing the song, Fisher comes from backstage to join him for the duet. The crowd immediately jumps to their feet and cheer on the two.
Foster shows off his admiration and the influence by Haggard, in his songwriting and the way he carries himself when performing his songs. You can hear it, even as he is running back and forth across the stage, jumping up on small platform stands at the edge of the stage singing “Gettin’ Right” or “Back Road Buzz.” However, it becomes most noticeable when he slows down to play an acoustic guitar, while sitting on a bar stool to perform the ballads “Good Ol’ Girl” and “Who I Am” all by himself while the band exits the stage.
The band joins Frank back on stage and helps light the wick again to get the crowd fired up as they finish their set with “Blue Collar Boys” and “Dirt Road.” Before exiting off the stage and calling it a night, Foster introduces the band that includes Brian Sowell and Andrew ? on guitar, Clint Reynolds on bass and Jeremy Warren on drums.
Looking out and watching the crowd this evening, although it is Frank’s first time playing in Shipshewana, it is apparent that many have come from far away to see Frank perform for another time. Many showed that they knew his music and the words to all his songs as they sang along to many that he performed this evening.
Frank Foster setlist:
1. Waymore’s Blues (Waylon Jennings’ cover) 2. Ridin’ For The Brand 3. Rowdy Reputation 4. Gettin’ Right Back Road Buzz 6. Something ‘bout A Buzz 7. Little More Nowhere 8. Merle Hagard tribute 9. Some Of Us Still Do (duet with Creed Fisher) 10. Old Man In Me 11. Good Ol’ Girl 12. Who I Am 13. Blue Collar Man 14. Dirt Road
After a brief intermission for a stage change over between the two artists, the crowd is welcomed back to their seats with a guitar solo of the “Star Spangled Banner.” At the conclusion of the National Anthem, the rest of the band joins the stage while the crowd cheers Creed Fisher’s introduction. The show starts off with “More Than One Year” before Fisher descends into the crowd to shake hands with those in the front row while performing, “Crazy.”
Upon his return to center stage, he remarks “I love country music, and I like to write country music. Hope you all like what you are about to hear tonight. This is me and what I am about.” Fisher continues with “People Like Me” and “Lowdown And Lonesome.” With the crowd up on their feet, cheering and singing along, Creed sees a young lady up on her mother’s shoulders with a blinking necklace around her neck. As he acknowledges seeing her, Creed gives the young fan his Capo off his guitar.
Thanking the crowd for coming this evening, Creed mentions “Frank Foster and I are a lot alike…our biggest thing, we sing Patriotic songs.” As the crowd cheers more, he continues with one of his first written songs he still plays today, “If You Have A Right To Burn My Flag (Then I Have A Right To Kick Your Ass).” With the crowd still standing and waving their hands in the air as they sing along, they continue with his hit song, “Maybe I Am.”
Creed hollers out to his rowdy folks to get drunk and have a good time. At the conclusion of “I’ve Been Drunk And I’m Still Drinking” he proceeds to tell the crowd that he is at a place in life where he does not have to get drunk every night, but he will still come out after the show and hang with everyone.
With a new album expected later in 2025 called Between Heaven and Hell, Creed performs a new song from that works called “Heaven Don’t Want Me And The Devil Ain’t Done.” At the conclusion of the song, he looks down to a young female child in the front row who is getting tired and appears to be ready to go. He tells her that the show will be over soon and if she is patient enough, he will meet her after the show and they can get a photo. In the meantime, he takes off a pink bracelet he is wearing and gives it to her.
As Fisher begins “The Way That I Am,” many of his fans flock to the front of the stage for a selfie and fist pump while he sits at the front of the stage. With a line still waiting to see him, he stays seated while he performs “It Don’t Sound Like Country To Me.” After standing up, he tells the young female fan, “you’re killing me…I love ya too much.” He then walks back to the front of the stage and gives her his hat and vest in exchange for her pink cowgirl hat. He finishes out the set wearing her pink hat.
Fisher sings the next song “I Drink Like George Jones And Cheat Like Waylon” for his ex-wife, before singing a shortened down, more child-proof version of “Girls With Big Titties.” He finishes with “Famous White Line” before leaving the stage.
Upon his return, Creed is reunited with his hat and vest while a boy waves an American Flag for the anthem “Stomp My Flag I’ll Stomp Your Ass.” With the crowd cheering and waving their hands in the air, he introduces a new song “Wood Smoke,” before bringing the night to an end with “Old School.”
A few moments after leaving the stage, Fisher holds up to his word and meets everyone that wants to meet him and get a photo with him, out in the main corridor of the theater.
Creed Fisher has been performing professionally since 2012 and has accrued a large fan following for not having any airplay due to his music not fitting the Nashville requirements of being more of a country pop genre. Creed is a self proclaimed “American Outlaw” and proudly wears it as a tattoo on his forearm for everyone to see. The lyrics of his songs dive into his own life experiences ranging from the good days to his dark and lonely days, that many of his fans are able to relate and compare to.
Creed is joined on stage with an outlaw cast of musicians that include: Emanuele Pistucchia on lead guitar, Chuck Jones on bass guitar and Brandon Sigle on drum.
Creed Fisher setlist:
1. Star Spangled Banner (guitar solo) 2. More Than One Year 3. Crazy 4. People Like Me 5. Lowdown And Lonesome 6. Up To No Good 7. If You Have A Right To Burn My Flag (Then I Have A Right To Kick Your Ass) 8. Maybe I Am 9. Angels Can’t Fly 10. I’ve Been Drunk And I’m Still Drinking 11. I’ll Have A Few More 12. Heaven Don’t Want Me And The Devil Ain’t Done 13. The Way That I Am 14. It Don’t Sound Like Country To Me 15. I Drink Like George Jones And Cheat Like Waylon 16. Girls With Big Titties 17. Famous White Line Encore: 18. Stomp My Flag, I’ll Stomp Your Ass 19. Wood Smoke 20. Old School
The evening’s performances by Frank Foster and Creed Fisher were enjoyed by all in attendance of all ages. Foster appeared to have more of an older more 70’s or 80’s country sound, while Fisher is leaning more towards a newer, more modern country mix sound. Regardless of style preference, they were both liked and enjoyed. And above all…as Creed Fisher says, “it is not that hip-hop, country crap of Nashville.”
Words by: Leslie Reasoner
Photos by: John Reasoner
Creed Fisher
Frank Foster
Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
