Steve Earle with a five-piece band? Wait, what? No acoustic set?
Steve Earle has been touring around with just a Martin guitar, some stories and many songs from his fifty years of making music. This night was going to be quite different. Reckless Kelly have joined him for a few select dates and made the trek from Austin for this show.
A late start time meant that we were in for a rocking good time with no breaks. Show started at 9 and was over by 10:45. As soon as Reckless Kelly hit the stage, they brought the heat. They have a refined version of alt country; rock country and Americana blended with polish. RK is originally from Idaho but moved to Austin shortly after forming in 1996. The Braun brothers, Willy (vocals and guitar) and Cody (mandolin, violin and guitar) have a good team behind them with Jay Nazz on drums, Joe Miller on bass, Geoff Queen on guitar and pedal steel along with Bukka Allen on keys and accordion. Thier sound is unique yet familiar but totally different. I’d say a southern soulful sound that has heavy influences from the Austin scene. A perfect fit for Steve Earle.
Highlights from their set for me include “Wicked Twisted Road” “Vancouver” and “Seven Nights In Eire” which was prefaced with, “let’s turn this place into an Irish Pub shall we.” I’m glad I was able to catch them even in an abbreviated set as Reckless Kelly are going in a different direction after this year. They are going to take a break (retire?) from touring. Sad news for fans, but I’m sure this won’t be the last time we have a chance to see them live. As Willy Braun said in a press release a couple years ago, “What it comes down to, really, is I’m ready to do something different. By the time we hang it up in three years, I will have been on the road playing music for over 40 years. I’ve been at this so long, there’s not a lot of surprises anymore, and I’m ready to not have to be somewhere every weekend for a bit.” We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
After 35 minutes of Reckless Kelly, Steve Earle joined them on stage singing one of the two singles they are releasing this summer, “Bad Girls” before jumping right into “Guitar Town” which caused a few members of the audience to jump out of their seats and run to the barricade in front of the stage. Being mindful of the folks whose view they were blocking, Earle politely said, “Sit the f**k down.” After the song was over, he added, “I appreciate that, the folks behind you couldn’t see anything.”
The added punch that Reckless Kelly gave Steve throughout the entire set was a nice change from his recent trips to the area. The two work very well together as they worked their way through Steve’s impressive 50 year catalogue. Fittingly he kicked off the night with the aforementioned “Guitar Town” before moving on to “Someday” and a personal favourite of mine, “My Old Friend The Blues.” Then moving on to “Exit 0” he gave us “The Devils Right Hand” before telling a story about his time in rehab in Tennessee and coming out a changed man. He then played the first song he wrote after leaving the facility, “Goodbye.”
“Copperhead Road” prompted people to jump out of their seats again. It was also a cell phone favourite. This is a fad or moment I still can’t understand. Why not enjoy the song and dig up other crappy cell phone videos online after the show. How good is your quality going to be? Grabbing a few seconds for your social feeds is one thing, but an entire shaky video of a classic hit? Guess people enjoy concerts differently these days. I came to see the performer sing, not look at it through the back of my phone. Rant over.
The show took a somber turn for a moment when Steve took time out to talk about the Upper Big Branch mine disaster of 2010. His 2020 album “Ghosts Of West Viginia” is a tribute to those who perished in this tragedy and those left behind. He added 7 songs to the play “Coal Country” which is based on interviews and stories from the families of the 29 miners who died that day. “It’s About Blood” heavily inspired by Tommy Davis who lost a son, brother and nephew in this preventable disaster. As Steve Earle points out, “It’s a non-union mine. The trade unions have had workers backs for years. Sadly, we are losing the trade unions and lives because of it.” As the song ended, he spoke the name of each person who lost their life that day.
He ended the night with “Johnny Come Lately” the only song off “Copperhead Road” that wasn’t recorded in Tennessee. He collaborated with the late Pogues frontman Shane McGowan, “one of the finest songwriters I’ve ever known.” Well Steve Earle is also one of the finest songwriters I know. I was expecting to see him alone and acoustic for his 50 Years of Stories and Songs tour but was pleasantly surprised when I heard Reckless Kelly was joining for the entire set. Thanks for the great night.
