'Far out' show fills The Rex

The music of John Denver resonated through The Rex Theater on Saturday as tribute artist Ted Vigil took the stage. Vigil, from Olympia, Washington, performed for more than 100 people, most wearing masks, Saturday night.

Thompson Falls High School math teacher Katrina Nygaard introduced Vigil. She told the crowd how growing up in New York, she developed a love for John Denver's music and went to one concert a year before he died in 1997. "I'm so happy there are people like Ted Vigil to keep John Denver's music alive," said Nygaard, who wore a "Peace Love John Denver" t-shirt to the concert.

Thompson Falls High School graduate Tanner Laws, who is attending Montana Tech in Butte, opened the show with an hour-long set of covers and original country songs. In the crowd were about a dozen of Laws's family members. He said it was the largest crowd he had performed in front of in his hometown.

Vigil kicked off his set with the classic "Rocky Mountain High," followed by "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Vigil has been a John Denver tribute artist for about 10 years. He never set out to be a tribute artist. Vigil worked as a fisherman in Alaska and then as a truck driver for the state of Washington. He entered a singing competition as a rock artist, and qualified for a competition in Laughlin, Nevada, with competitors from around the country, New Zealand and Australia. In the Washington regional qualifier, people nicknamed him "Denver." Though he was competing in the rock competition, he decided to try a John Denver tune in the country competition – and won. He was encouraged to become a tribute artist. Vigil said he was a drummer in a rock band, and if he was going to play John Denver's music, he said he had to learn to play the guitar. So he did, and he and his wife Tamie started traveling to gigs around the Northwest. They worked as satellite installers for awhile before his music career took off. Now he's a full-time tribute artist.

Tamie said that Ted loves to play small venues like The Rex. She noted that he has played venues of up to 10,000 people. They travel all over the country, and a bit internationally, sharing the music of John Denver. He even had the opportunity to play for Denver's first wife, Annie (the inspiration for "Annie's Song") in Colorado.

Joining him onstage were Amy Daves, who played the fiddle and mandolin, Dan, on bass. Vigil played many memorable John Denver songs, as well as "Sing My Songs," an original song he wrote about his experience playing Denver's music. During "Grandma's Feather Bed," he brought up three children, Nygaard's kids Solveig and Theo and their friend Aubrey Baxter, to make the noises of the chick, hound dog and pig during the song.

He ended his set with "Thank God I'm A Country Boy," but the crowd's applause brought him back for one more song. He looked at Nygaard and asked, "Which one should it be?" She answered with "This Old Guitar," which is what Denver would play to end his concerts.

Christine Munday with The Rex Theater was happy with the turnout for the event and said she is looking forward to having more live entertainment at The Rex.