Ann Arbor Show at The Ark March 2

Filter filter, singular for now

1 W Without Tears [aborted after first 3 syllables but subsequently nailed]
2 Side of the Road
3 I Don’t Know How…
4 Lake Charles
5 Pineola
6 Crescet City
7 Ugly Truth
8 Bus toB R
9 Everything Has Changed [with talk of how “relevant” this song is to the political situation]
10 Born to be Loved
11People Talkin’
12 Fruits of my Labor
13 Well Well Well
14 I Lost It
15 Concrete & BW [“I don’t know how Steve Earle does it,” it being remembering lyrics without book or teleprompter]
16 Buttercup
17 Can’t Let Go
18 Down the Big Road Blues [with pause to say “I know it’s nasty” during calf/cow sequence]
19 Honeybee [robert Johnson lauded]
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20 Jackson [with Dylan L]
21Get Right w god [Rev. G Davis and Fred McDowell shout-outs]
22 Changed the L

23 Joy

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24 Blessed

LWJ, you forget nothing from this Forum, obviously. I will elaborate briefly on my Ann Arbor setlist–and sorry for the typo on song six title. A sharp Forum moderator would have corrected that by now 😀 😀

No sidewalk brawls, though when I arrived circa 7:20 asking if will call line was separate from doors line, the Ark staff members (volunteers?) on the pavement with clipboards could not answer the question. So I proceeded to the Alley Bar on Liberty and Main, deciding to take my chances on a single seat later in the evening, as my friend from East Lansing was not able to attend after all. Beverage-imbibing at the Alley Bar did not involve a five-dollar minimum up front, as I later found out was the Ark’s policy. Something about license to sell booze requiring each patron to sign up and make this minimum donation; maybe that was what the clipboards were for all along. Anyway, I don’t begrudge the venue this amount, but ended up as a popcorn-only Ark concessions patron as it happened. When I was ready to enter just before opener, a volunteeer usher intercepted me and led me to an empty, three seats from an aisle. It was a fine spot, fourth row stage right as it happened, but I kind of felt perfectly capable of roaming the room myself and eagle-eyeing any singles remaining. I would call the staff attentive. I would call the venue insular. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to admire about the folks who have maintained a room like this through the years, moving it a time or two I believe. Lucinda enjoyed playing there. But I must say I’ve got a certain jones for the more impersonal houses down the line on this tour, e.g., DC 9:30 club, where a man can enter and exit at will, can skip or listen to the opening act without notice taken, according to his whim. I’m saying this about Erie and Ann Arbor both (though the spaces couldn’t be more different in most ways): way too much hands-on staff focus. All I need is that wild man with a dozen body ring piercings to handstamp me on V Street as I enter the 9:30 club and let the evening unfurl from there, really. So now I will hear from Ann Arborites defending their haunt, and that’s OK. As for any Detroiters last night, didn’t meet them. . .

Too early to say -just had the opportunity to do it with the same person who did the album shows, and I had a feeling these shows could be very unique, so I really wanted to get one on film. Our guy said he got some really great footage. We got some great after show footage also. One of Lucinda’s teachers from her Fayetteville college days in 1971 was there. She had told Lucinda back then not to pursue a music career, and they were talking about that last night. Pretty hilarious.

Special shows indeed. Congratulations on a fabulous solo acoustic run. Now, let there be rock! If Ann Arbor’s Joy was any indication, I do believe that Lu is primed to hook up with the band in Toronto, and crank it up to 11.
On a side note… have you ever considered an album of Delta Blues covers? Lu’s smokin’ hot version of Down the Big Road Blues from the other night was one of the many highlights.

ps…Thank you, for all you do.

Blessed