Steve Earle started the show with an acoustic performance very
similar to the one he's doing with the Del McCoury band. He sounded
wonderful as always. He played a bunch of songs. I can never remember
the set lists. He spoke eloquently and passionately about
his views on the death penalty. (Though his non-death penalty banter
was the same stuff I've been hearing for a few years now. he needs
some new material) Steve talked again about his witnessing an execution
last fall. Even though I've heard Earle tell this story before, it never
fails to move me.
well, actually, speaking of his new material, he did play a new song as his
last song of the set, after describing in detail his involvement with the
executed prisoner and what the execution was like. He was a little choked
up, and went on to say this was a song he "hadn't gotten around to
recording yet" and that this was the first time he'd played it to a crowd.
It was a sparse song, sung from the point of view of a man about to be
executed - ripped me up.
Let me second Marie's emotion that it is an incredibly moving, wonderful
and thought provoking event. P2's own Traci Thomas is doing a lot of work
on it, by the way.
meshel
n'vegas
