This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Steve Earle or Allison Moorer (I once saw Steve and the Dukes open for Willie Nelson back in the 90’s and I saw Allison at Merlefest a couple years back, which included a surprise Steve appearance. I’ve already mentioned seeing Steve in San Fran last October, which was also pretty damn cool). But last night’s show at the Paramount Theater was by far the best show from Steve and Allison I’ve seen.
Allison opened the show and it should be noted that she has one of the purest singing voices of anyone around. I’d put here in that rarified air of Patsy Cline and Neko Case when it comes to sheer vocal beauty and power. Standing on a stage with a just a microphone and a guitar, Allison shimmered. She played a couple songs from her new album Mockingbird which I thought were two of her set’s highlights.
The album itself is a tribute of sorts to some of Allison’s favorite female singer-songwriters and her versions of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and Jessi Colter’s “I’m Looking for Blue Eyes” definitely hit the mark. But the highlight of highlight’s was by far her set-closing take on Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”. The crowd was behind her the whole time and I think she felt it as she blew the audience a kiss before walking off stage and making way for the night’s headliner…the one and only Steve Earle.
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As Steve walked out on stage a roar erupted from the crowd. He strapped on his guitar and a harmonica and for the first thirty minutes of his set he played songs from his extensive catalog of early classics. There was “Tom Ames Prayer” and an awesome version of “South Nashville Blues”. There was the losing of love ballad “Goodbye” and one of my faves from Steve’s debut album Guitar Town, “Someday”. But for my money I thought the best of the show’s opening songs was the poignant death-row tale “Billy Austin” which can only be summed up as powerful.
If the first third of Steve’s performance touched on his self-proclaimed “hard-core troubadour” years, then the middle third would have to be described as “leaving Guitar Town behind”. This was the set of songs that, for the most part, have been inspired by Steve Earle’s recent move to New York City, and have been captured on his latest album Washington Square Serenade. The album and the songs are a departure of sorts from Steve’s earlier country rock roots and if there was anyone in the audience that hasn’t been closely following Steve’s career they were probably not prepared for the sounds of electronic beats and the spinning records that followed.
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Steve Earle at the Paramount Theater [photo by Tom Daly]
Joined on stage by John King of the Dust Brothers who manned two turntable decks, Steve launched into a set of songs that pretty much were a run-down of his latest work. Earle delivered renditions of “Down Here Below”, “Satellite Radio”, “Tennessee Blues”, and “City of Immigrants” (where he was joined on stage by Allison) from the new album, and even re-worked a couple of older songs, “Transcendental Blues” and “Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain”, into the set of “folk singer meets modern beats” song list. Another personal highlight from this portion of the show was Steve’s version of the Tom Waits’ number “Way Down In a Hole”.
As the evening drew to a close and Steve walked off stage for the first time, the audience rose and cheered for more. A couple of moments later, he returned for his encore that included “The Mountain” and “Copperhead Road”. But the evening’s most touching moment was the song “Little Rock n Roller” that Steve dedicated to his father who passed away a couple days after Christmas in 2007. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it brought a tear or two to my eyes.
Sure he didn’t play “Guitar Town” and even though one audience member yelled more than once for a song for Townes Van Zandt, Steve never went down that road either. And while he mentioned that this was his first time performing in Charlottesville, if the responses from the audience and the performer were any indication, I would wager that it won’t be the last time we see Steve in town. Maybe he was saving those classics for the next time he comes around. If it happens, I for one, will definitely be there.
If you saw the show, let us know what you thought.
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Tagged as: Allison Moorer, charlottesville, live music, Paramount Theater, Steve Earle
I admit I am definitely late to the Steve Earle party. I had Copperhead Road as a cassette when it first came out and then kind of forgot about it. It was packaged as his “rock” coming out party, which of course doesn’t nearly tell the story. I came fully on board with the Transcendental Blues release, which is in high rotation among the CDs I play on a regular basis.
If I had a revelation about the first time seeing him live, it was that he has a significant stage presence. Here he comes following the very attractive Alison who delivered a nice set (but seems a bit all or nothing with her big voice), and he’s dressed in flannel, denim and grandpa glasses. And then proceeds to blow away the memory of Alison’s set with his intense singing and playing. He seemed very single-minded in playing what he was going to play, basically ignoring audience requests. However, I found out from one of the house staff that the Paramount had placed an 11 o’clock curfew on the show; otherwise he might settled in and stayed a while.
All in all, a great show.
What impressed me was that he just kept going and going…no set break…just two straight hours of performance. I definitely agree KCB that if given the opportunity he would have played all night. Did you notice how he kept checking his watch toward the end of the show?
One other quick point: The Paramount, in my opinion, was the perfect venue for Steve as a solo artist. But if he ever comes back with his band the Dukes, we might have to move things outdoors to the Pavilion.
[…] at the Paramount last night was done photographically by Tom Daly and with written word by Shaun Harvey on cvilleMUSE. Shaun begins… “As Steve walked out on stage a roar erupted from the crowd. He […]
I thoroughly enjoyed the show and agree with the highlights mentioned thus far. However, two additional ones stood out in my mind: Allison’s cover of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot” and Steve’s reworking of “Transcendental Blues.” Allison’s voice showed a power that doesn’t quite come across in some of the more delicate songs she chose to sing. Beautiful version of that song. The somewhat trippy version of “Transcendental Blues” sung by Steve (complete with what sounded to be finger cymbols [stoopid speaker blocked any view at all of John King for me, but I was also front row center so, seriously, don’t cry for me]) was a wonderful way to re-hear an old favorite.
I’d also mention the duet, “Days Aren’t Long Enough,” written and performed by Steve and Allison. A beautiful song, performed with a lot of sly glances and big smiles directed at each other.
This is my third opportunity to see Steve (Wolftrap being the first [complete with a very drunken Willie Nelson on the bill] and [weird yet true] Brussels, Belgium being the second). This was by far the best. The body of work from which Steve has the ability to draw is at a point where everyone will hear something old, something new and (perhaps even better) something new IN something old. Wonderful show. Hope they both return!
Before Tuesday night, over the past twelve or so years, I’ve gone to see Steve Earle live in Northern Virginia, Maryland, D.C. Las Vegas, New York, New Jersey, Farm Aid (where I met him backstage) and New Orleans. I’ve seen him electric, acoustic, and blue grasstic. I am not his biggest fan in Charlottesville, but I am surely one of them. All his concerts are exceptional and Tuesday night was as well. The Paramount was a wonderful venue for an acoustic show, and the audience warm, welcoming, responsive and quiet when appropriate. (In a lot of his standing shows, with his band, the audience tends to get restless and talkative during his sad songs which is unbelievably annoying.) It was a great evening even if you couldnt dance when you wanted to. A couple of months ago, Dave Letterman introduced him simply on Late Night as, “the great Steve Earle”. The essence of Steve Earle is his ability as a musician, his oneness with his instruments and the way his music can crawl into your soul and stay there. His essence was present Tuesday night. He was the great Steve Earle. Come back again Steve, and bring your band next time.
This was my first Steve Earle concert, but I can hardly imagine seeing a better acoustic performance that what he and Alison gave at the Paramount Theater. This was a great venue for the show, and the crowd showed throughout the night how much they loved Steve and his music. There were so many highlights, it was hard to narrow them down. In addition to what’s already been said, I enjoyed Steve’s performance of “Jerusalem” and his efforts to get the audience singing “Steve’s Hammer”. An excellent show by (in my opinion) the greatest American songwriter alive today. Thanks for coming, Steve and Alison, and please stop back anytime.