alsoblessed

Morning after thoughts…

Compared to many of you here, I guess I could be categorized as a “casual” Lucinda Williams fan. I didn’t really pay attention until Car Wheels (shame on me!) and then scurried to buy the back catalog and have enjoyed everything ever since. Concerts were not in the budget for a long time so last week’s Vienna/Wolf Trap show was my first Lu live performance. Anticipating my first show, I started poking around this site and appreciated learning more from you about the band, the music, and the shows. Thanks.

It was oppressively hot and humid for that outdoor Vienna show and, while the performances were solid, the band looked a little wilted and the set was just 75 minutes (after a 90-minute Amos Lee set). I was not upset; instead it really reminded me how tough life on the road must be for a musician. Juggling line-ups, dealing with varied venues, facing fickle audiences, traveling long distances between shows, and even battling the elements. I totally understood why she’d cover an AC/DC song: “If you think it`s easy doin` one night stands / Try playin` in a rock roll band.” Indeed.

I’m sure there are good economic reasons to do it, but I don’t think the Amos Lee co-billing worked particularly well. No disrespect to Amos’ obvious talents. I noted Amos (on Lucinda’s Facebook page) referred to his appearances as a “co-headline run” and that makes sense given the equal split in time. And there lies the problem. While I’m sure there’s overlap, I think his was a significantly different audience (many of whom seemed to be young teenage women?). I was stunned to see a number of them leave after Amos’ set. Maybe the heat got to them, but I doubt it. Amos has his own fan base, is supporting a hit album, and the “co-headline” issue made the opening/main act distinction problematic. Those of us who came for Lucinda were a little disappointed at hearing more of Amos.

After feeling a little let down by the Vienna show—but understanding that the conditions were not great—I learned she was also playing nearby Richmond in just a week, so we got late tickets up in the balcony. After some talk of a “special guest,” we were happy to eventually hear this would be “an evening with Lucinda Williams;” no opening act. We hoped this meant we’d hear more of Lu and the band.

We were not disappointed. It was a great show and the sort of thing I had hoped for originally. The band looked more relaxed and was firing on all cylinders during a nearly two-hour set. Butch, especially, seemed to have a much better night than in Vienna, pounding some great mini-solo-like sections towards the end of some of the rockers, donning a washboard for Well, Well, Well, and, in general, making his presence felt forcefully. David was quieter, anchoring the set and excelling in providing the atmosphere on the slower songs with his upright bass. For me, Blake was the highlight of the Vienna show and again in Richmond he rocked when needed—delving even more into his electronic bag of tricks to supplement his impressive talents; providing awesome flashy blues and jazz riffs elsewhere; and helping David set the subtle mood for the softer songs. In short, he brought his own fresh interpretations of the songs but supported–rather than overpowered–them. Perfect! (I’ll definitely be checking out his solo work!)

Lucinda, of course, is center stage and her casual, laid back approach is great. This is not about theatrics or fancy production; it’s about the songs. She delivers them with solid performances and a voice that is as impressive live as it is on the recordings. Lu is perfectly capable of carrying a 7000+ seat venue like Wolf Trap but in a smaller 1500 capacity club like The National in Richmond, she excels. It’s a nicely restored old theater with excellent sound and sight lines (and great AC!) She raved about the venue—a little pandering to the home-town crowd, I’m sure, but I suspect she also really did like it; it’s eminently likeable.

My one wish is that Lu and the band loosened up even more. Their show mostly recreates the recorded songs at a steady pace. (I happened to notice they had played the first 10 songs in about 45 minutes; a steady 4-and-a-half-minute pace.) But the show gets elevated during the moments when the band is allowed to break out of the structure of the song as recorded and jam a bit; moments when Lu seems to mostly step aside. A few of these moments—Unsuffer Me at both shows, for example—were spine-tingling. But several times, just as the mesmerizing jam was heating up, it would come to an abrupt end. I kept wanting to shout, “No, no, no! Let it loose! Don’t stop!” There’s some incredible musicianship on that stage and sometimes it felt like horses were chomping at the bit, dying to be let loose of the confines of a 5-minute song. Maybe as the tour continues without an opening act, they’ll do more of that.

I love good music and finely-crafted songs and am in awe of those who can produce them. Yes, it’s almost a cliché already but, in a culture where vapid pop dominates, we’re blessed to have Lucinda Williams and her band among us.