Steve Earle Show

Steve Earle was outstanding! Lots of good stories, lots of political sermonizing, songs by Townes mixed with old and new favorites by Steve. Besides being a crackerjack (don't you like that word - "crackerjack"?) songwriter and musician, as well as a most engaging performer, there is so much that he gets right --

• nonviolence
• labor unions
• immigration
• human rights
• energy (you don't burn food -- i.e. corn -- for fuel when there are people going hungry and there's no such thing as "clean coal")
• rich vs. poor

-- and he considers it his responsibility to speak out. During the 8 years of Bush/Cheney, I went to concerts sometimes looking for a word of hope, inspiration, or galvanization. I was usually disappointed by artists who chose to play it safe -- even Arlo Guthrie, for goodness' sake, didn't utter a peep about the Iraq war! Steve is one of a handful of performers makes it his stock and trade, and he does it so well.

High points of the evening? Pancho & Lefty, Good-bye, Jerusalem, Lungs, City of Immigrants … During the encore he announced that he became a first-time grandpa a few days ago and played Little Rock & Roller. (If my kids had been there, they would have checked at that point to see if I was crying. I plead the 5th.)

It was a most satisfying show, and we were in good company with friends Alice and Rob. Here is a list of tour dates, if you're inclined to try to see it. I'd recommend it.

Woo Hoo!

Tonight we are off to Milwaukee (only around these parts we say "M'waukee") for an evening with Steve Earle, performing the songs of his friend, the late, great Townes Van Zandt, in a solo acoustic show. If you aren't familiar with Van Zandt, he was simply one of the finest singer-songwriters around, whose songs have been covered by just about every self-respecting, country-folk musician. In general I prefer to hear Townes sing his own songs, but since he's not here to do it I'll take Steve Earle.

Here is a sample of what he'll be playing tonight: