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I am a fan of Lucinda Williams going back to the 80s, but had never had the opportunity to see her in concert. I attend at least 5 concerts per year in the same genre as Lucinda. I have all her CDs except Essence and West. I’m sure the Sacramento concert was a treat for bigger fans than me that have seen her shows many times and have every CD, but I was very disappointed with this show.
The Sacramento show contained at least five songs from her new release, some of which sounded good and I’m probably going to purchase it (which I’m sure is her goal), but I’d had high hopes to hear many of her outstanding older songs from her pre-Essence releases. I could be wrong, but I think she only played two and they were not favorites of mine. This reminded me of a Bob Dylan concert I attended in the 90s where he played zero songs of his from before 1980. This is a common complaint between artists and fans that will probably never end. Artists aren’t monkeys for our amusement, but we are there to be entertained for a price.
I know artists tire of playing the same songs for decades and to her credit she appears to be very good at publicizing her setlists. I purchased the tickets the moment they went on sale and had great seats in a favorite venue of mine. I should have probably researched her latest concerts and known better what we were getting.
By the way, I actually thought it was actually kind of fun how she stopped two songs mid-way to either re-start them or get frustrated and give up. I noticed that she had a music stand and sheet music that she referenced. Not sure I’ve ever seen that at a concert. The backing band was also incredible.
The night wasn’t a total loss for me, but I probably wouldn’t go to another Lucinda concert without significant research or if I was really blown away by her recent release.
Everyone reading this board probably is already aware of how her concerts work and bigger fans than me, but I wanted to vent somewhere! My next Bob Dylan concert contained way more of his older work, so maybe Lucinda will do the same.
OK to vent here, howa. Better luck next time with Lucinda.
I’m always steamed when Dylan doesn’t do “Changing of the Guards” at shows I attend… 😉
Real Love
Tears of Joy
Ventura
Crescent City
Concrete and Barbed Wire
Jailhouse Tears
if Wishes were Horses
Little Rock Star
Come On
Real Live Bleeding Fingers
Honey Bee
Atonement
Unsuffer Me
Joy
ENCORE
Rarity
I Live My Life
It’s a Long Way to the TopI have to disagree with howa. From where I sat in the 4th row, I heard enthusiastic applause from an electrified crowd. I thought Lucinda and her band put on an outstanding show. I anticipated a low-key, mellow Sacramento crowd and was worried that Lucinda would get a bad vibe and play accordingly. She really seemed to enjoy herself. I thought her new songs were outstanding and well-received.
She really seemed to enjoy herself until Rarity fell apart. The crowd tried to encourage her, but she got really angry, saying, “Welcome to our rehearsal,” and scowled her way through the last 2 songs.
Besides her new tunes, I really liked hearing Crescent City, (dedicated to the people of New Orleans) Ventura, and Concrete and Barbed Wire.
Wow, that set list looks great. That’s too bad you were disappointed howa. Oh well, to each their own.
Given who normally posts on an artist’s fan site, I fully expected that most here would probably disagree with me and be happy with the setlist of this show and the high energy there. As you can see from the setlist above, there appear to only be three songs from pre-Essence. I’m sure all long-time live concert attendees have seen her perform pre-Essence songs live many times, but I have not.
Catering to her most loyal fans and giving a big peek at an upcoming release is her prerogative and they were, for the most part, good songs.
I just wanted to vent, since it was my first time seeing her. I’m not sure she’s ever headlined in Sacramento before, so there may (or may not) be others like me at the show, but they probably would not be reading this site.
The encore temper tantrum was actually quite humorous to me. Have to say I didn’t particularly like the song she gave up on anyway (I’m sure contrary to everyone else that’s reading this post that was there).
I need a time machine to go see one of her 90s concerts.
howaghowag
You don’t need a time machine to see one of her 90’s concerts, just get her Live From Austine DVD. I have that one on my iPod and watch it all the time. Most of Car Wheels is on that one and a few of her older ones. That was right after her Grammy so she has a great band backing her up, including Jim Lauderdale. It’s a great set of older songs and a great performance. Pick it up from her website.
By the way, I’ve been going to concerts since I saw the Rolling Stones, Journey, and Peter Tosh at Soldier field in Chicago in 1978. and I’ve noticed that most performers tend to play their more recently written music during their latest tours. So that’s not a Lucinda thing, just a fact of life.
Steve
I’ve seen her recorded old concerts including Austin City Limits and obviously that’s not the same as live.
I agree most artists will skew towards more recent releases, but to play six or seven off a yet unreleased CD and only three (I believe) that are 8+ years old seems like too much.
Probably another area where I differ from most on here. I much prefer her older stuff.
Like I said, I see about five concerts per year and used to go much more frequently and don’t ever recall hearing the statement “This is a new one…” before so many songs at a concert. The Bob Dylan analogy sums it up. Everyone is fine with hearing 2 to 5 songs of his post-1980 work, but only the hardcore “Dylan forum participants” will leave happy if they don’t hear 8 to 10 pre-1973 songs. She even said that since many people were at this Sac show and also went to a prior show in another city, she wanted to give them something different. Well, I wasn’t at that prior show and would have liked to hear Pineola which was played the prior night. I’m guessing 98% of the people weren’t at the show the prior night, either.
It’s easy to believe that this forum speaks for everyone at live shows, but without polling them as they leave, you really don’t know their satisfaction level.
I found it interesting after Lucinda’s fit in the encore she said “great, wait’ll the bloggers start up about this now”. She obviously looks at the feedback, which is good, but there will always be that non-blogger/forum concert-attending group, which is most people. I put myself in that group since I only checked this forum out right before the show and will probably disappear soon. But, I know I may not speak for that majority group either. But usually the large, less committed fan prefers stuff they are more familiar with, which is older.
I’m probably acting like a McCain support in the middle of San Francisco on this forum. Not going to get any sympathy!
I have been going to concerts frequently for the past 37 years and I see the performers whom I am fond of as artists. I enjoy seeing their growth over the years and I like to see them try new things and take chances. We seldom can appreciate any artist from just one piece of art; you must consider the entire body of work. You can’t go to just one show and expect to have your expectations met. Like an album or a painting, a show is just one piece of an artists work. You are not going to like them all. I have seen shows that were major disappointments and some that were peak experiences but they were often not what I expected. As with most things in life, going into it with expectations, often leads to disappointment. So keep an open mind and don’t give up on seeing Lucinda live because that peak experience might just be her next show.
Take care all
Ted in CrockettYes I was there. Overall I think it was a good show. If I had to compare to the last shows I’ve seen, I liked it better than the Paramount show but less than the show at the blues festival, both in Oakland. I was in row LL which is probably the furthest away from the stage I have been for a Lucinda show. I always enjoy shows more when I am up front. The audience seemed more subdued than usual and so did the band and so was I. I thought Doug’s playing was not as fiery as it often is. I liked the set list and love jailhouse tears but I have heard honeybee enough. I enjoyed the opening set by the band but again I don’t think the playing was very inspired. As for Lucinda’s tantrum, who cares, I kind of enjoyed it; at least I won’t forget that show. If you remember the Fillmore shows that were recorded for the live cd, she played 3 nights in a row. I think the first show was 1.5 hour, the last was 2 hours and the middle show that I attended was 3! That was one of my peak concert experiences and that show should have been the live album. In any case, you never no what you are going to get and to me that is part of the charm. Looking forward to being up front at the Fillmore in November.
Ted
I agree with howa in that when I see a show by one of my favorite performers, I want to to see a setlist that includes my old favorites. I only became a Lucinda fan about six or seven years ago, but quickly became hooked. The Sacramento show was my fifth, so maybe I am biased by the fact that I have seen her perform many of her old songs already, but her new songs were so GOOD. I think her new album will be great if these new tunes are any indication.
My only disappointment for this show was the AC/DC cover. After checking out setlists on this forum, I was really looking forward to a rousing rendition of It’s a Long Way to the Top, but because of her meltdown, she seemed to be uninspired. I hope she includes this song on her setlist for the Fillmore shows.
(I also hope she plays Changed the Locks!)
As a long-time fan of Lucinda Williams (1st concert was when she opened for Gram Parker at First Avenue in MPLS circa 1989 and many since), LWs current concerts and setlists are lack-luster and somewhat difficult to sit through–from my perspective of course. So I agree with you Howa. Unfortunately, this forum has its fair share of fanatatical posters who see LW as “the best show on Earth” without putting too much critical thought into their observations yet are very emotive regarding her song choices and performance/vocal qualities. I think it is a fan’s ultimate job to critique while supporting our favorite artists (some of mine are Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Neil Young, Todd Snider, Lucinda Williams, Tim Easton, David Byrne–yes he’s touring this fall!, and many more). Not every album or performance/tour is “oh my gosh, that’s incredible!” yet some fanatics sure think so (take Live at the Fillmore for example–not a very good recording from my perspective).
From my perspective, LW is not at the top of her game and her setlists are top-heavy with new stuff. David Byrne once mentioned that his shows are 30-30-30s; meaning 30% new stuff, 30% crowd pleasers, 30% old stuff. So while artists do tour to support new material such a statement should not support what LW is doing today. I am not going to her shows–unless they are right down the street because I am not totally in love with her setlists and her voice right now. As a responsible fan, I can honestly say it’s too raspy and guteral. Not my thing but I still love her, support her, and will always cherish the 6 or 7 conversations that I have shared with her over the years. Just be ready for the occassional rabid LW fan to take one’s venting out of context, Howa. That’s a common behavior of a fanatic–go bombastic on a balanced perspective or vent. Thanks, for sharing your balanced perspective, Howa!
@illbeyou wrote:
Real Love
Tears of Joy
Ventura
Crescent City
Concrete and Barbed Wire
Jailhouse Tears
if Wishes were Horses
Little Rock Star
Come On
Real Live Bleeding Fingers
Honey Bee
Atonement
Unsuffer Me
Joy
ENCORE
Rarity
I Live My Life
It’s a Long Way to the TopI have to disagree with howa. From where I sat in the 4th row, I heard enthusiastic applause from an electrified crowd. I thought Lucinda and her band put on an outstanding show. I anticipated a low-key, mellow Sacramento crowd and was worried that Lucinda would get a bad vibe and play accordingly. She really seemed to enjoy herself. I thought her new songs were outstanding and well-received.
She really seemed to enjoy herself until Rarity fell apart. The crowd tried to encourage her, but she got really angry, saying, “Welcome to our rehearsal,” and scowled her way through the last 2 songs.
Besides her new tunes, I really liked hearing Crescent City, (dedicated to the people of New Orleans) Ventura, and Concrete and Barbed Wire.
Thanks illbeyou for actually posting a setlist in the midst of all this. Too bad “Rarity” didn’t come good; though Lucinda was probably on target to call it a “rehearsal,” the band has played it live before, albeit awhile back, certainly not on this tour. I envy (along with the wind of course) your getting to hear “If Wishes Were Horses” live, in full. Those three you mention in your last paragraph are tour debuts I think, plus three or so others.
Anybody make Bend? Could the Arcata poster reconstruct the setlist, maybe partially at least?
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