Reflections on the recent Eugene, OR show

I was nearly ecstatic when I found out Lucinda Williams was going to be playing in Eugene… it got even better when I found out I was about to score 5th row seats on-line !! YES !! Before we heard about the Eugene show, my girlfriend and I were talking about making the drive from southern Oregon to the festival show up in Redmond, Washington, but when the Eugene show was announced I knew that one would be the ticket for us since it is considerably closer and, I figured, since it was billed as “an evening with Lucinda Williams” (no support acts): it likely would be a longer show, so there would be more of Lucinda to enjoy! My g.f. and I have been going out about six months and this event was to be our first concert together. As it turns out, LW is the rare musical common ground between us, and I couldn’t wait for a chance for us to share in what I knew would be a very special opportunity and what I was sure would be a great Friday night! Much appreciation goes to my buddy Tino for introducing me to LW’s music a few years back (by the way, Tino named his daughter Lucinda); I loved her music right away and was lucky enough to attend LW’s concert at the Britt Festival in southern Oregon a few years ago. Though I’m not nearly as familiar with, and knowledgable about, LW’s music as some, I do have several of her cds in my music library, and I have listened enough to have found insight, comfort, and enjoyment in her music time and time again. Shortly after we met I introduced my g.f. to LW’s music, and she quickly took a liking to the Essence album; in fact, she loved the title track so much she asked me to record a cover version of the song for her, which I managed to do, even if I did fumble my way through it (read: didn’t do it justice), but it was good enough to put a smile on her face, and that’s what mattered. So when the day of the Eugene show finally came I got off work early, picked up my g.f. and we made trip up north to Eugene in about three and half hours. The drive up was fine, overall, despite me feeling lightheaded the whole way as a consequence of inhaling the fumes from a small bottle of fuel additive that I stupidly let spill in the back of my van (smooth move!). We got to the venue with about 45 minutes to spare, so we walked to the 7-11 down the street and bought a couple of adult beverages and drank them hobo style, from paper bags, on the way back to the concert hall. The scene out front of the hall was surprisingly understated for a Friday night: not too much automobile traffic in the streets, a few people seated on the front steps of the hall, and only a few more people milling around. If I recall correctly, LW’s name wasn’t even on the marquee (though I did see Ralph Stanley’s name on there for a show later in the month). We proceeded up the stairs, through the front doors and into the building, and as I looked inside I was struck by the small size of the room: a main floor and a balcony…it was very very intimate. We made our way clear up to our seats in the FIFTH ROW! Though I don’t go to too many shows any more I’m accustomed to sitting in the cheap seats, and other than the Loretta Lynn show I saw in 1997 (front row!), these were the best seats I had ever had to a concert. Of course, the anticipation was building as we waited for the show to begin. I was impressed by the elegance of the venue, and the well-mannered semi-well heeled mostly middle-aged sober looking audience was not at all out of place…this was more of a classy affair than I was used to (how did I get in here, anyway?) The emcee came out to introduce the band and then, at last, they took the stage. I wasn’t familiar with the band members and was quite intrigued: the drummer looked the part – tough looking and solidly built like he was more than ready to pound the skins all night if necessary. The bass player looked svelte and smart and walked over to his bass with a sense of purpose. The guitar player looked all business and gave the impression that he was ready to dish it out right there and then. Lucinda looked lovely: jeans, cowboy boots, button down blouse, glasses… kind of like a super-hip sexy rock-n-roll professor with a PHD in sweet soulful Americana songcraft. They geared up and kicked off with “I just wanted to see you so bad”, but there was a problem: no vocals! Damn. The microphones were turned off in the mix. I felt bad for the band. The sound-man was off to the side of the stage with headphones on, totally oblivious, and, apparently, not earning his pay that night. The crowd was mostly too polite to yell out, though a couple of people did. Finally, the adjustments were made and the vocals kicked in. The crowd responded with a cheer which, unfortunately, threw LW off, and she stopped the song prematurely, started from the top, and stopped again before singing right through it on the third take. No big deal. The crowd, myself included, didn’t seem to mind. Part of LW’s appeal, it seems to me, is that she is for real and mistakes happen in real people’s lives. No problem. Hell, I was just glad to be seeing LW again. The band played on with a couple more songs and LW joked about the evening’s rough start and then began to tell the crowd about the incident at the previous show where an audience member fell to his death on the stage in an apparent suicide. My heart sank at this moment: it wasn’t long ago at all that my gf’s husband committed suicide and this is still very fresh in her mind and still weighs very heavily on her heart. The subject of suicide has come up numerous times over the course of time in our relationship as different events, people, dates, and dreams serve as difficult reminders. I’m confident the passage of time will ease the grip of grief over her, but it persists in the meanwhile. So, when LW described the previous show’s horrific event I thought “oh no, not again” as the subject of suicide again surfaced. I looked over at my g.f. and winced. LW then explained that at least the guy, who was said to be out on bail on a domestic abuse charge, could have gone into a closet and shot himself (instead of in front of the horrified crowd in a concert hall). My heart sank even further at that point: My g.f.’s husband committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in their bedroom. Without having to ask, I had a pretty good idea of what my g.f. was thinking and feeling at that moment. After the show I asked her if she enjoyed the show. She replied that “yes, she did, except for the suicide comment”. She explained that this guy who fell to his death probably has a family and that his mother or father or other loved ones are likely grieving over the news of his death. Imagine how they would feel, she said, if they heard someone comment about how he should have just gone in the closet and shot himself. I have to say that despite the pain and legacy of hurt that my gf’s husband has left, she does not outwardly show bitterness or anger towards him. I am greatly impressed by the kindness and sympathy she feels towards him despite the wreckage he has left in her life. Anyway, the rest of the night’s show was fabulous as LW played songs, old and new, that showed off her remarkable gifts as a writer and singer, reflected some of our own lives in hers, reminded us of the resiliency of the human spirit, and touched the heart. Plus, her band kicked some serious ass! After the show my g.f. and I went back to the van, held each other, slept in the parking lot, then drove back home in sunny August morning.