Council Bluffs Setlist

1 I Just Wanted to See You So Bad
2 Happy Woman Blues [with much talk of the 30th anniversary of Lu’s first Folkways record]
3 I Lost It
4 Big Red Sun Blues
5 Concrete and Barbed Wire
6 Tears of Joy
7 Something About What Happens When We Talk
8 Fruits of My Labor
9 Right in Time
10 Pineola
11 Drunken Angel [with everything you wanted to know about Blaze, and more, beforehand]
12 Out of Touch
13 Real Love
14 Essence
15 Come On
16 Real Live Bleeding Fingers & Broken Guitar Strings
17 Honeybee
18 Joy
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19 Righteously
20 Changed the Locks
21 It’s a Long Way to the Top

Buick 6 (called “Buck 6” in the Omaha weekly paper) gave a rousing opening, introduced by Nick as “the instrumental skullduggery [not to say -drudgery] of Buick 6.”

Lu called attention to Buick 6’s record and the duct tape cover of herself, at great length, during the main set. Susannah had mentioned to me that the boys had pre-signed some copies (20, as Butch indicated toward the end of the opener), and I mentioned Eric not being on the record yet having signed it–no big deal really, though. BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got front row access, right next, curiously, to a fan. For those who remember Lu’s last Council Bluffs appearance, this is significant: outdoors near Harrah’s, as opposed to indoors tonight within the Horseshoe complex (who can keep these vast gambling dens distinct, though I think there’s joint ownership?). Anyway, I was prepared to flip the fan into the on position if Lu reprised her line from August 2007 (“who do I have to fuck to get a fan up here?”), but she didn’t, happily. By the way, I misheard the line way back then as “Who do I have to fuck to get a band up here,” but fortunately two fans corrected me before I posted that false quote. No worries tonight, Lu happy and praising the audience throughout. Also, the 2007 Bluffs show was the day the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, further darkening the proceedings. On a happier note, that show was also Chet Lyster’s debut.

The band was into it tonight, moving toward the audience on lisp of stage, bumping into one another, generally appreciating the set-up.

Someone else will need to step up for the Wisconsin report. . . .