Nelsonville Ohio Show Recap

Stuart’s Opera House – Nelsonville, Ohio 2/26/11

Tonight’s show was held in an historic building that was constructed in 1878 as an opera house. The theater area was on the second floor, accessed either by climbing up the steep wooden stairs or via the elevator. There was no loading dock, and the crew had to tote the equipment through the front door, through the lobby, up the elevator, to the stage. Many of the architectural details appeared very authentic to the original time period, like stepping back in time.

During the show, edgy young hipsters wearing their cool hats and headbands were trickling down the steps to stand in the pit in front of the stage and capture every word. It’s always heartening to see the younger generation embracing Lu’s music, instead of just us motley, middle-aged medley.

Set list:

1) Pineola

2) Greenville – stopped and restarted after one syllable “I always get nervous at the beginning of these things, until I warm up and get organized” 🙂

3) Am I Too Blue?

4) Memphis Pearl – “This is a song I wrote when I first moved out to L.A. from Texas, and saw a woman digging through a garbage can – an all too common sight now. I tried to imagine where she was from, and what her life was like before she found herself in that situation.”

5) Fruits of My Labor

6) Sweet Love

7) Port Arthur – “This is a new song that is not on the new album, that I wrote for a Janis Joplin tribute concert.”

8- I Don’t Know How You’re Livin’

9) Something About What Happens When We Talk

10) Ugly Truth

11) Somebody Somewhere (Don’t Know What He’s Missin’ Tonight) – “This is a song that Loretta Lynn recorded that was written by Lola Jean Dillon; one of the few early country songs that talks about a woman’s needs more openly – or even now. Loretta Lynn was more open and edgy than even the contemporaries are. I was reminded her hometown isn’t too far from here – Butcher Holler, Kentucky.”

12) Well, Well, Well – was ‘well’-received with clapping and foot-stomping

13) Crescent City

14) I Found It – “I wrote this song about 30 years ago, and initially recorded it on the second Folkways album, and then a very different version on Car Wheels. The inspiration was the bumper stickers on cars that said ‘I Found It’.

15) Blue

16) Born To Be Loved – “A couple people have said this is a love song. I guess it is, but more of a love song to the world, to everybody…”

17) Down The Big Road Blues – “Old recording by Mattie Delaney”

18) He’s God – “I learned this from a guy named Blind Pearly Brown – a blind preacher street singer – my dad took me to see when I was 6 years old living in Macon, Georgia. My first musical influence I can remember. You can find his music out there if you look.”

“Sending this out to Christopher Hayseed Wyant; he wrote one of my favorite songs – ‘I got a God-shaped hole in my soul’.”

“I used to, in the heyday of the feminist movement, used to say ‘She’s God’.”

“I hate the political correctness crap. One of my first interviews, in a Boston paper, I was asked ‘How can you sing country AND blues?’ I said ‘Country is the white man’s blues’. They changed it in the paper the next day to say ‘Country is the white people’s blues’. Too much political correctness will kill your heart.”

19) Can’t Let Go

20) Honey Bee

Encore

21) Disgusted – “This is a Lil’ Son Jackson song – one of the best song titles I’ve ever heard. It’s really politically incorrect.”

22) Changed The Locks

23) Joy – “I want to say how proud I am of the people of Wisconsin. I’ve heard this song is being sung during demonstrations. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s gone beyond the issue of the unions. It’s about this small monarchy that’s been building – that’s why we came over here from England in the first place.”

Second Encore

24) Blessed

Great show! Folks, if you ever get the chance, go see one of Lu’s solo shows! They are very intimate, and you will enjoy hearing the back stories to the songs.

P.S. Stoger, you were of course correct on your song count. 🙂