The bluegrass family band The Petersens performed at the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous on Mar. 12. They are (from left) sisters Julianne on mandolin and Ellen on banjo; mother Karen playing upright bass; brother Matt on guitar; sister Katie on Fiddle; and family friend Emmit Franz playing dobro.
CACHE COUNTY – It’s easy to see – and hear – why the family band The Petersens are popular attractions in the music mecca of Branson, MO.
With entertainment like The Petersens, it’s equally obvious why the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous is still going strong after 12 years.
The Petersens were one of two headline acts at the Cowboy Rendezvous this past weekend. Their repertoire consisted mainly of pop music covers infused with a blue grass flavor and the hint of a yodel in the background.
The packed audience at the rendezvous on Saturday loved it.
The 2022 reunion of cowboy poets, western singers/musicians and genuine Old West cultural artisans was held at Cache County Events Center in Logan. Events were scheduled Friday evening through Sunday, with matinee and evening concerts on Saturday as the featured attractions.
The Petersens led off the headliners on Saturday afternoon. The band included siblings Ellen on banjo, Katie on fiddle, Julianne playing the mandolin and brother Matt on guitar. Their mother Karen played an upright bass and family friend Emmet Franz was on a dobro guitar.
Although The Petersens’ international fame is derived from their YouTube channel (where they have 600,000 subscribers and more than 130 million views), the band has also done multiple tours here in North America and overseas in Ireland and Finland.
In those travels, the band members have picked up an affinity for Irish folk songs, one of which they have added as a foot-stomping instrumental number in their concert performance.
The rest of their set was a combination of tunes by the bands’ favorite artists with The Petersens’ distinctive personal touches added and traditional country tunes.
In the former category, they performed “Jolene” (made famous by Dolly Parton); “Blue” (by Patsy Cline); “Red Headed Stranger” (by Willie Nelson); “I Wanna Be a Cowboy Sweetheart” (by LeAnn Rimes); “Still the One” (by Shania Twain); “When You Say Nothing at All” (by Alison Krauss); “Back Home Again” (by John Denver); and – strangely enough – “Mama Mia” (by ABBA).
Traditional country tunes in their concert performance included “Living on Tulsa Time,” “Amarillo by Morning,” “Carolina in the Pines,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and “Rocky Top.”
The Petersens’ performance earned a spontaneous standing ovation and a well-deserved encore.
The Petersens shared the Cowboy Rendezvous stage with the duo Manystrings & Co., who performed original novelty songs, and local teenage cowboy poets Thatch Elmer and Colt Blankman.