I had a conversation recently with a friend of mine about what it truly means to be an artist. One of the points we agreed on was that being an artist means you express your authentic self through your art form, whatever that may be.
Thank goodness William Beckmann chose music as his art form because at the outdoor stage at the iconic Floore’s Country Store, his pure artistry shined brightly, blending his life experiences and influences into an exhilarating Friday night concert.
Beckmann’s setlist was absolutely diverse in all the best ways possible. His voice is one of the smoothest I’ve heard in country music and it fit effortlessly in just about every kind of song possible. Hell, I’d love to hear him tackle a jazz song someday.
It really wouldn’t be far-fetched for him to do so, as the influences he talked about growing up with included the legendary Frank Sinatra.
“Anybody that knows me knows I like old-school country music and old-school rock n’ roll,” Beckmann told the crowd. “Big fan of that stuff, I love Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison and Frank Sinatra.”
He also talked about growing up in the small border town of Del Rio, Texas and how living in that community inspired his love for other genres.
“I was growing up, I used to drive around in the pickup truck with my grandpa, used to put mariachi music on … I fell in love with that genre of music.”
All of these influences came together in a way that felt so unique to him as an artist while performing country music that was perfectly set for a late-night performance at Floore’s.
Some of my favorite songs of the night were “Not That Strong” and “In the Dark.” Both of these were songs where he talked about trying to be strong enough to move on from a past lover, asking her how he’s supposed to carry on with his life and what he’s going to tell his heart.
He had plenty of drinking songs to suit the lively Helotes atmosphere with everyone in the crowd raising their beers high up in the air for songs like “Tennessee Drinkin” and “Danced All Night Long.”
I also loved “Bourbon Whiskey,” which was wild for me considering I’m not a whiskey drinker myself but even I felt the emotion behind every single one of the lyrics he sang.
The setlist had plenty of covers that had the crowd going wild, such as Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” and playing the iconic guitar solo in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”
He even unexpectedly performed a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams,” which he and his band did in their distinctive country style which I loved. When artists sing something completely out of their lane but put their own spin on it, it’s such a special treat to see live.
The side of Beckmann that fans were most eager to hear live was the Spanish-singing side that the mariachi music in his life clearly influenced. I never thought I’d hear a white dude singing Spanish in such a powerful way, but his vocals during these tracks blew me away.
“Volver Volver” alone is worth the price of admission, as his band exited the stage, leaving only him and his acoustic guitar to fully captivate his audience.
I definitely got the excitement myself as the clip of him singing it at the Grand Ole Opry was one of the first instances I heard him sing and made me interested in him as an artist.
I might have heard even more passion in his voice singing in Spanish with this song; the way he holds the last notes for what felt like an eternity had the entire crowd erupting with so many cheers.
For the encore, “All of My Exes (Still Make Me Breakfast)” was a song I had no idea was in his catalog. Its lyrics are much more playful than the rest of his songs, and his band infused it with so much life and energy to it that it suited his live set perfectly.
He then ended his show with “I’m On Fire,” with the pure country vibes finishing at a high for the Floore’s crowd.
Going back to the conversation between me and my friend, William Beckmann truly embodies what it means to be a genuine artist. He’s constantly touring all over Texas so if you ever want to see one of the brightest country artists live, you’ll definitely have your chance to see his talent on display.
