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I saw Lucinda for the first time ever last night at Wolftrap, after being a fan since “Car Wheels” came out way back when.
It was a fantastic show, and Lucinda herself said she and the band were “pulling a few songs out of the hat,” i.e. songs they hadn’t played before, either at all or much. I think she attributed this to some of her family being in the audience, so, as she put it, “setlists are made to be broken.”
I don’t have an exact setlist, but some of the tunes I hadn’t seen on earlier setlists were “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” “Are You Down With That?”, “I Lost It,” “Crescent City,” a new song called “Knowing,” “Honeychile” (a Fats Domino cover) and, interestingly, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” Being a huge Washington Redskins fan, and hating all things Dallas Cowboys, this was quite fun to sing along with. 😉
I’d heard so many mixed things about what to expect from Lucinda. I definitely wasn’t expecting someone who was going to be running around the stage trying to get the audience excited with cliched arena rock tactics. I expected a few awkward moments here and there, and there were indeed a couple.
One was when she stopped “Still I Long For Your Kiss” midway through because she couldn’t hear herself in the monitors. They picked it up again and all was well. There were a lot of long pauses between songs at times, however, as she and the band tried to figure out what to play next. I found the whole presentation sort of endearing. Totally unpretentious. It walks a fine line at times: after all, she IS an entertainer, and people are there to be entertained. But it was hardly an inconvenience to the audience, and the amazing performances, sounds and songs more than made up for any temporary lulls.
She played from about 9:15 – 10:50, and the last three or four tunes were encores. You could tell they wanted to play more, but she mentioned the 11 p.m. curfew.
I was a bit disappointed on a personal level in some ways, because there’s a core group of her songs from which I wanted to hear at LEAST one. “Drunken Angel,” “Sweet Side,” “Fruits of My Labor,” for instance. None of those were played, but I actually ended up “rediscovering” some songs that hadn’t really hit me as hard on the albums, particularly songs from the new album. “Unsuffer Me” was really hypnotic and powerful, and “Where Is My Love” really touched me. I always liked “Righteously” a lot, but it just brought the freakin’ house down last night. The guitar playing was just incredible on that, and throughout, and the sound mix was really done well. We were fairly close, dead center, so that helped.
Lucinda was very talkative and unassuming throughout. What really amazes me is the huge range of people who are her fans. Old people, young, old-school country music lovers, rockers, punks…what a great accomplishment to create music that so many people obviously cherish.
Before the show, there was a group of young kids who had some signs they were parading around. One said, “Lucinda for President,” another said, “Love, Peace, Revolution.” (Ok.).
Anyway, during the show, Lucinda noticed the “Lucinda for President” sign (probably because the guy holding it was also yelling it), and she seemed really happy about that and said as much. She had her guitar player help her read the “Love, Peace, Revolution” sign, to which she responded (jokingly), “Right on!” It must have stuck with her, because as the show ended with a beautiful new song called “Knowing,” she said, “Goodnight, Love, Peace, Revolution.”
One of the surprise highlights for me was the other new song, “Honeybee.” An awesome, AWESOME little gem of a rocking song. Loved it from the first chord, which is rare when hearing a song for the first time, especially live. The other new one, “Knowing,” was the final song of the evening, as mentioned above, and it was one of her trademark ballads, complete with beautiful aching lyrics and a delivery to match.
Anyway, hopefully someone will post a complete setlist. I simply can’t remember. I know she opened with “Rescue” (which I personally think is a poor choice for an opener – it’s very rare that someone can pull off opening a show with a slow, moody number without bringing down the mood), then into “Pineola,” which got the crowd buzzing again. I think pretty much the remaining songs I haven’t mentioned have been played pretty commonly on the tour.
So, I was a bit disappointed I heard none of my “elite” Lucinda favorites, but was still thrilled to see such a great show with such an amazing selection of incredible songs. It was a great way to spend a summer evening.
Next weekend, the White Stripes!! Can’t wait for that one, and I’m sure it will be a little more, shall we say, “up tempo.”
So, that’s my review while it’s still fresh in my mind. Sorry for lack of a complete setlist. Oh, and if anyone wants to check out any of MY music, feel free: www.myspace.com/dissonline
Looking forward to seeing the great Lucinda again, AND to hear what seems to be shaping up to be a great new album if the two new songs are any indication of what’s to come.
Great report! Lucinda started ending her shows with the “Peace, Love and Revolution” wish after the 2004 election I think. Live at the Filmore ends with it. Thanks for sharing, Diss.
Thanks for your review, Diss, and welcome to the board.
One comment stuck out for me:
“…I actually ended up ‘rediscovering’ some songs that hadn’t really hit me as hard on the albums, particularly songs from the new album.”
Makes concert-going worthwhile, imho!
Lucinda Williams, Under Many Influences
Tuesday, July 24, 2007; Page C04Lucinda Williams is more than a little bit country and more than a little bit rock-and-roll. More specifically, she’s a little Hank Williams, a little John Coltrane, a little Chet Baker and a little Loretta Lynn.
Those were the influences she name-checked halfway through her marvelous 100-minute set Sunday night at Wolf Trap, and you could hear the ghosts of all of them — even Lynn, who is, you know, not dead– hovering in the rafters as Williams took her sweet time working through a program that largely eschewed the hits in favor of whatever she felt like playing.
Williams took her sweet time working with a strong set Sunday.
So: a half-dozen songs from this year’s fine “West” album, including the slow-burning opener, “Rescue,” and later, the pairing of “Mama You Sweet” and “Fancy Funeral.” That somber twofer prompted Williams to call for the upbeat “I Lost It,” “because I don’t want everybody to be crying in their beers,” she said. “Well, actually I do.”
A lack of momentum was the gig’s only flaw. That isn’t surprising given Williams’s notorious, unhurried perfectionism — one of the reasons it took her until her mid-40s to become a star with 1998’s Grammy-winning “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.”
Charlie Louvin opened the show with a trip through one of the most remarkable songbooks in country music.
It was a testament to his influence that many of the songs he performed (“Must You Throw Dirt in My Face,” “Atomic Power,” “The Christian Life”) were familiar from several subsequent generations of musicians having played them.
Louvin sang soulfully for an hour — generous for an opener and astonishing for a man who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this month. “The Christian Life,” indeed.
— Chris Klimek
The show at Wolf Trap was fantastic! I have the set list and will post it later. I have attended Lucinda concerts for the past ten years and this was the first show I’ve been to with such a wide range of songs including new songs beyond West. Not sure about the lyrics to Honey Bee, although the music was rocking! Doug Pettibone did a fine job. The trashing the band has gotten recently didn’t seem deserved Sunday night. Disappointed not to see Wrap My Head Around That in concert, but, hey, there is next Sunday at Rams Head! Lu was really interacting with the audience and taking requests, and seemed to really appreciate the “Lu for President” banner. She was sure smiling alot between songs, another first. I am still reliving the show on my drive to and from work every day anticipating next Sunday’s show.
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