Went to see this guy tonight, and really, really wish I could tell you it was a great show.
Now, there is absolutely no doubt he is a truly authentic American voice, and one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century - I have no problem acknowledging that.
And I know he's getting on a bit as well.
But tonight it seemed like he was just phoning it in, like there was somewhere else he'd rather be. His band was great, but because it's Willie's band he gets to solo in every song - and there were some solos where it was like he didn't seem to care that he'd just played a handful of wrong notes. It was almost excruciating at times.
I initially thought that maybe he hadn't rehearsed, but I guess it was because he probably just gets fed up with playing the same stuff night after night. (Ironic, when you listen to the lyrics of "On The Road Again").
Also ironically, the best song of the night was one he didn't write - a sublime version of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty" (actually one of my favourite songs anyway).
Problem was too that the crowd was 90 per cent Willie fans, for whom he could do no wrong. There were many, many cowboy hats. In the first few songs, every mention of drinking too much whiskey and fighting in a bar-room got a whoop, and then folks just seemed to get bored with it all. It was as if they were cheering the fact that he wrote all these great songs, and weren't bothered that he was putting virtually nothing into playing them.
I like Willie, I listen to his stuff more frequently now than I probably did ten years ago, or even when I lived in Tennessee and it was almost compulsory. But tonight was sadly disappointing. Ah well....
One bright spot, though, was the support act, Mary Gauthier and her band. Got there late and just caught her last few songs, but picked up her new album and had a chat with her guitar player after the set.
Now, there is absolutely no doubt he is a truly authentic American voice, and one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century - I have no problem acknowledging that.
And I know he's getting on a bit as well.
But tonight it seemed like he was just phoning it in, like there was somewhere else he'd rather be. His band was great, but because it's Willie's band he gets to solo in every song - and there were some solos where it was like he didn't seem to care that he'd just played a handful of wrong notes. It was almost excruciating at times.
I initially thought that maybe he hadn't rehearsed, but I guess it was because he probably just gets fed up with playing the same stuff night after night. (Ironic, when you listen to the lyrics of "On The Road Again").
Also ironically, the best song of the night was one he didn't write - a sublime version of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty" (actually one of my favourite songs anyway).
Problem was too that the crowd was 90 per cent Willie fans, for whom he could do no wrong. There were many, many cowboy hats. In the first few songs, every mention of drinking too much whiskey and fighting in a bar-room got a whoop, and then folks just seemed to get bored with it all. It was as if they were cheering the fact that he wrote all these great songs, and weren't bothered that he was putting virtually nothing into playing them.
I like Willie, I listen to his stuff more frequently now than I probably did ten years ago, or even when I lived in Tennessee and it was almost compulsory. But tonight was sadly disappointing. Ah well....
One bright spot, though, was the support act, Mary Gauthier and her band. Got there late and just caught her last few songs, but picked up her new album and had a chat with her guitar player after the set.
posted by Steve at 10:37 PM
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