In spite of a serious cold, award-winning country music singer Ty Herndon performed Oct. 20 at the University of Idaho.
Herndon joked about how some of the songs he picked this night had lower keys so he could have an easier time with his sore throat.
Herndon was invited by his friend Jeremy Barron, the associate director of UI Event and Support Services, to give a concert for the locals. Herndon said he and Barron have worked together several times before.
Jinrong Lei | Argonaut
Country musician Ty Herndon and guitar player Erick Halbig perform on Oct. 20
Herndon performed with Erik Halbig on guitar. Halbig is a guitar producer from Nashville, Tennessee. The two were tacit regarding song selections on the stage. Like in the past, Herndon’s sense of humor brought the audience a lot of laughter.
“To travel, sing and stand on two healthy legs is awesome,” Herndon said. “I hope the world can be a place we all live together and love each other.”
Herndon sang “House on Fire,” a song that shares a name with his 2016 album. When he sang “Lies I Told Myself,” the entire Administration Auditorium seemed to sink into the ocean of sensitivity and memories from when people were young.
“I was a big dreamer,” he said.
He also sang “Journey On,” which is from the 2010 same name album. Finally, he used an improvisational song to respond to the audience’s applause and end this performance.
Backstage, Herndon said Idaho is one of his favorite landscapes and he has performed in the state many times.
“It’s pretty beautiful. You got a lot of pretty water here, whitewater,” he said.
In addition to the concert, Herndon said he had a talk with UI LGTBQA students in the morning. Herndon himself identifies as a gay man.
“I hated my sexual identity for so many years and it caused me a lot of pain and grief,” Herndon said. “It almost cost (me) my life a couple of times. Twice to be exact. It was just quite torturous and the older I got, it became too uncomfortable for people not to know the real me. I want the real me to shine in my music.”
He said statistics show many young Americans kill themselves because they can not accept their sexual identity. They were thrown out of their home, churches and community, he said.
Herndon said he was angry toward such occurences and believes God loves all kinds of humans. Herndon said he came out so he could be part of the solution for this.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done. Getting to tell every youth that we’re not broken. We’re made perfectly beautiful, just what we (are) supposed to be,” he said.
Herndon gave some final advice for music students near the end of the concert.
“Remain very authentic to who you want to be, the music you want to do, and the messages that you want to have in your music,” Herndon said.
Jinrong Lei can be reached at [email protected]