I and my fiancee saw Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band at
Mississippi Nights in St. Louis. I couldn't complain that I didn't get my
money's worth; the show was just $15 and they played for three-plus hours,
minus a 15-minute break in the middle.
Some observations:
-- As I feared, Mississippi Nights is hardly the best venue for an
acoustic show. Yes, the overall sound was pretty good for the first two-
thirds. But we were near the back of the room, and it was harder to hear
Earle's solo acoustic slot as the crowd became drunker and more chatty.
Mississippi Nights did some things to help the atmosphere somewhat, like line
up chairs in front of the stage to try to create a more intimate setting.
-- The sometimes overmatched sound still didn't diminish my enjoyment
of the show. Hell, it was a thrill just hearing bluegrass being played on a
rock 'n' roll stage like Mississippi Nights. Better yet, the Del McCoury Band
was cheered lustily after their numbers. Especially loved Del's "I Feel the
Blues Movin' In" (I heard Dolly sing it first) and "Backslidin' Blues" and a
version of Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road." I wish they'd done "Get Down On
Your Knees and Pray," though.
-- My fiancee dug Earle's acoustic set, especially "Ellis Unit One."
I'm glad he's performing that somewhat obscure one ... it's one of the
standouts from the "Dead Man Walking Soundtrack."
-- Earle's propensity to singing murder ballads: "Nashville doesn't
play songs about homicides anymore ... I'm opposed to that on moral grounds."
-- Spotted watching the show near the soundboard area: Jay Farrar of
Son Volt, drinking a Newcastle Ale and quietly listening. I think his drummer
was with him, too.
-- Love the single-microphone trick that Earle and the McCourys use.
I'm surprised they don't knock each other down. This may be a question for the
Gracey types: Is it a 360-degree microphone or it is more directional, like
180 degrees? I was wondering how they'd keep the crowd sound from bleeding
into the mix.
-- Never thought I'd see Earle in a suit and tie. Vocally, he was in
fine form ... his gravelly best.
-- Earle was telling about reading Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain"
and some music inspired by that wonderful novel (I need to read that again).
Who wrote music from that book and what CD is it?
-- Earle's show has accomplished one thing for me ... I'm going to
start looking up more bluegrass music. Thanks, Steve, for making an album
that's getting me off my butt and making me seek out a music form that I've
unjustly ignored for years.
Ron Warnick
NP: The King, "Gravelands"
(Actually, an Elvis impersonator doing AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" works
better than you might think)
