One I really liked too. The older singers seemed to have more range and could carry their notes more than a lot of the new ones. And I have to agree, they did get quite "gussied up" when they performed, but it was nice to see that they wanted to present an image of a professional even if some of the Rhinestones were a bit much sometimes.... better than just an old "hayseed" looking like an old hayseed. And I think that people that used to pay some of their hard earned good money did want to see the singer looking like they made an effort for their public.
People used to want to look like they made an effort to look a little "nicer, neater, cleaner" when they went somewhere. I hate to wear a dress but I also like to at least wear clean neat clothes when I go to town most times. Yes, I will do errands on my way home form testing because I am trying to save trips.... but often I will still have a clean sweatshirt in the truck/car and try to clean my boots with a water hose at the dairy before I leave. If I am going to do some errands, grocery shopping, etc. then go by the stock yards, I still want to be wearing clean jeans and such.