backstreets

Tonyg is right about Rock and Roll shoes – I omitted the word “up”. And yes, it’s a cover. I saw Springsteen perform it at on the final stop of his 2009 tour in Buffalo.

Following is Lu’s portion of the 2/26 guitar pull, for which Stuart provided the accompaniment:

Pineola (with some harmonica from Steve Earle)
What Could Go Wrong Working on a Song (I’m told this was also done at a John Prine tribute)
When the Way Gets Dark (think this may be a new one)
Good Souls

That’s it from the high seas. Looking forward to getting back to a normal routine after six days of overindulging, grabbing quick bites between shows, and late nights.

I apologize for not posting earlier- just been constantly on the go until about 1:30 a.m. every day. And yes the Stardust is the indoor theatre here on board, though the weather has been great all week. Here’s the set list from 2/21. Keep in mind that sets are 75 minutes long. Also, I’ll update this thread with the set lists from later in the week.

Can’t Let Go
West Memphis
Stolen Moments
People Talkin’
Lake Charles
Big Black Train
Fruits Of My Labor
Are You Down
Let’s Get The Band Back Together
You Can’t Rule Me
Out Of Touch
Righteously

Awesome report as usual Professor!

Since Stolen Moments was on Lu’s Jukebox Tom Petty CD I assumed it was referencing TP, but of course could be more than that. Actually saw the Boss do RnR Shoes in Buffalo in ‘09. I really like the obscure covers that Lu and the band seem to pull out of nowhere. And like Bruce, Steve Earle, and others, she doesn’t need to do the covers because of their own extensive catalog, but certainly adds to the show (thinking back to Lu’s cover of The Rising from a few years ago).

Roger, that’s an interesting comment about Big Black Train. Not sure if a specific song/album is the source, or Springsteen’s battle with depression through the years.

I apologize for the tardiness and any inaccuracies of this report. Mrs. backstreets and I were running on 4- hours of sleep for about 9 days in a row. We drove from Iowa to Miami for the cruise, figuring that now that we’re retired, a) we have the time to do it and b) to save money. Not sure about the money part as we spent $450+ on gas plus the two extra days of lodging on trip. That’s not to mention the wear and tear on 60+ year old bodies. The cruise itself was incredible, as we were on the go from 1 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on sea days, and 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on port days. It was a constant that we could be found at 2 a.m. on the deck by the cafeteria eating pizza and having a night cap!

Sorry about the long-winded introduction. To the shows as best as I remember with limited notes (I don’t have stoger’s gift of a steel trap memory, nor his command of language!).

The setlist for 2/26 looks correct, except that she ended with Get Right With God – no encore. Thought the show went very well! She stood the entire show – the boat was rocking a bit (not as bad as it has on prior cruises), but she didn’t seem to have any issues with balance.

The 2/28 pool deck show was rained out. The show was rescheduled to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 3/1. Following is the setlist:

You can’t rule me
Bleeding fingers
Can’t let go
Crescent city
Changed the locks
Drunken angel
West Memphis
Man without a soul
Pray the devil back to hell
Honey bee (Chris Masterson joined the band for this one)
Joy
Righteously

Wind had to be blowing 40+ mph (excuse me, that should be knots since we’re at sea), which accounted for at least 90% of the issues with the show. Again, she stood for the entire show, but her hair was constantly in her face. About halfway through the show, the wind blew her lyrics monitor over, and the crew was unable to get it working again. From the point forward, the crew had to bring out the lyrics for each song and tape them to her music stand. Also, Lu had a difficult time getting Crescent City started – there were probably 4 false starts with David helping to get her into the right key. Even with the difficulties, she seemed to take everything in stride, and the crowd was certainly with her!

For the guitar pull, Chris Masterson (from the Mastersons and Steve Earle’s Dukes) joined Stuart to accompany her. The setlist (since I didn’t take notes, not sure if 2 and 3 are in the right order):

The night’s too long (Lu was in prime form with her story about how Nashville wouldn’t release this song. Ultimately, she narrowed it down to the word “sweat” and “leather jacket”, saying that apparently they have issues with apparel. Audience was in stiches with the story!)
Big black train (EXTREMELY moving version)
Man without a soul (with the reference now being to the Ukraine situation)

One other note: Buick 6 put on a great 75-minute standalone show to a very appreciative audience. They were playing opposite of Emmylou’s Hot Band’s show (with the likes of Emmylou, Steve Earle, and Rodney Crowell participating), but they drew a decent-sized crowd and put on a hell of a show!

Awesome report Vivian! Good to see you and your friend Tess, and Roger at the show. Totally agree about Lu’s voice. I think that’s the best she’s sounded since I started following her in 2011.