I saw Steve Earle & The Dukes on Tuesday night at the Asbury Lanes bowling alley in Asbury Park. It was a top heavy Guy Clark set followed by a 15 minute power outage which seemed to light up all on stage for the hits heavy second half. It was one of the best shows I've seen this year, with credit going to Earle's interpretation of the Guy Clark songbook.
I'll admit, I wasn't too thrilled with the news that Earle was releasing an album of Guy Clark songs. This had nothing to do with Clark. But after a "Townes" record, a "blues" record, and an "outlaw country" record, and a "Colvin/Earle" record, I wanted a Steve Earle record, especially after the brilliant "Earle" record, "The Low Highway" from 2013. So, I only just recently got into the "Guy" record. And it's a winner.
There was a stretch during the show where Steve Earle played "Hard Core Troubadour," teased Bruce's "Rosalita," played a verse of "Racing In The Street" and then played all of "Pink Cadillac." During this run, my eyes were on the silhouette of the guitar tech on the backstage door, as I expected a Telecaster and extra microphone to appear. We were in Asbury Park! But alas, that did not happen, which begs the question, "What the hell you playin' Bruce songs in Asbury Park for, if you ain't bringin' him up on stage?"
Still, a fab night. And if you haven't heard "Guy," check it out. Steve Earle does his mentor right.
4 comments:
Great, great show--and loved what I saw of the husband/wife duo The Mastersons! Just wish I had gotten there earlier to see all of their set. But, you know--Cubacan!
I LOVE Steve Earl and I've been listening to a ton of Guy Clark lately. Yet I have inexplicably not listened to the "Guy" album yet. Maybe for the same reasons you listed above. I'll give it a spin today.
While we're on the subject, I urge all to also check out "This One's for Him," the 2CD Guy Clark tribute album.
About as good as a tribute album can be...
Ken D is right. That's a beautiful tribute album, put together by Rodney Crowell. It's great.
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