Cory Farley: Horrible Voice and Cheap Gimmicks

By SoDak

This past summer, I had the unfortunate experience of seeing Cory Farley as an opening act. Before the concert, I was a bit nervous, wondering whether or not it was wise to go given the ongoing pandemic. My mother was visiting and was excited to see the main performer, as this was the rescheduled show from the previous year. We went to the stadium, masked up, and took our seats. Farley took the stage with his band, which included his brother playing bass. All I knew about him was that he was originally from a rural community in Iowa. Generally, I am quite curious to see a newer musician and to hear something new. On that night, during his set, I might as well have been at a shitty bar. Farley played a mix of cover songs, interspersed with his own tunes. He started with Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been Cowboy.” It was immediately evident that Farley could not sing. His voice did not warm up as the set progressed. He just belted out each song, lacking any inflection or emotion. Musically, he played crappy rock music, which parades itself as modern country. He strutted around stage, trying to play up that he was a “good ole boy.” As he introduced one of his own songs, he indicated that it was about all the people who are refusing to work for a living, as they lived off the backs of hard-working folks. Is it possible, he was talking about the rich and the deepening economic divide between the classes? Nope. Instead, he sung a song attacking the poor, describing them as parasites. He launched into a medley of bad 1990s songs, which included “Achy Breaky Heart.” He played another Keith song, “A Little Less Talk, Lot More Action.” He asked his brother to sing a song, which further revealed how horrible Cory Farley’s voice is by comparison. He talked about all the hard work associated with farming, before playing his song “You Can Go Farm Yourself,” the title of which is a bit clever. While addressing some important issues, such as the rural-urban divide and aspects of what can be seen as alienation, the song was still rooted in reactionary politics. Farley just gets to pretend that he is a rebel. All of my relatives are ranchers and farmers, but they have a much more sophisticated understanding of these issues than Farley, who wants to believe that he is the voice of them. To further cheapen the entire performance, Farley closed his set with jingoistic bullshit and cheap gimmicks. He played yet another Keith song, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” followed by the National Anthem as the U.S. flag was unfurled. This ploy was clearly used to get most of the crowd to stand and clap. It was complete bullshit, but it was done because Farley lacks good songs that can move an audience to stand and cheer. Sadly, he is likely the type of scoundrel who can thrive in such reactionary times.