Steve Earle – The Granada Theater, Dallas, TX, 4/19/15 (SHOW REVIEW)

There are several constants that we as humans have grown accustomed to in life. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Jennifer Aniston continues to churn out trite, similarly focused rom-com fares. And how the San Antonio Spurs always muscle their way to 50-plus regular season wins. In a similar fashion, folk-rock troubadour Steve Earle consistently puts out solidly crafted, well-versed albums every year or two before hitting the road for a lengthy tour of American haunts. For longtime fans (that’s pretty much Earle’s audience these days) it’s almost becoming a tradition to carve out some calendar time for album releases and show dates. Fortunately, though, Earle usually delivers onstage, bringing a wealth of musical grit and muscle, a bevy of self-introspection, and a healthy dose of realistic, salty between-song banter.

As he has on his previous two tours, Earle hit Dallas’ Granada Theater accompanied by husband-and-wife duo The Mastertons: Chris Masterson on guitar and Eleanor Whitmore on fiddle, keyboard, organ, etc. (The duo also previewed a good deal of fine material from their new album during their 30-minute opening set), and longtime cohorts Kelly Looney on bass and Will Rigby on drums. The familiarity of their musical partnership was evident throughout the night, as the band propelled the tunes along with a sharp and dynamic interplay. Several times, Earle paused to heap praise on his bandmates, lavishing kind words for Eleanor Whitmore’s vocal prowess and jack-of-all trade musical dexterity and lauding Looney and Rigby for their steadfast support. As Earle tends to wander all over the musical landscape when recording and touring, it really is amazing to see such brilliant consistency from his sidemen.

A single man yet again, Earle has lately found a bit of therapy by dabbling in the blues. His latest album, Terraplane is comprised of almost all faithfully authentic interpretations, and being the historian that he is, it is presented with high reverence in tone and delivery. Sunday’s show began with Earle front and center, free of guitar and armed (ala the current iteration of Bob Dylan) with only a searing harmonica and bullet microphone. Current divorce proceedings from wife, Allison Moorer notwithstanding (Earle made vague references to this matter at several points during the show), it seems Earle is still strutting his game: “Standing on the corner/Bleecker 8th or 9th/Money in my pocket/And women on my mind” he gleefully boasts on the new track (and show standout), “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now”. Elsewhere, he swaggered through the veiled come-ons of “Baby Baby Baby (Baby)”, swept through the two-step swing of “Love’s Gonna Blow My Way”, and took a few minutes to expound upon his reasoning for including some slower, more contemplative material in his repertoire-“I can’t look out and see a bunch of dudes out there that look just like me”-before launching the slow chords of “Goodbye”.

In most ways, Earle is a perfect embodiment of the old bluesman. There aren’t many artists alive who can come close to his equal in terms of living the part. As he quipped at one point while discussing his lengthy catalog of song selections: “That’s what happens when you don’t die”. And that songbook was reached into early and often as Earle switched back and forth throughout the night between electric guitar (the saucy “Go-Go Boots Are Back” set things ablaze), acoustic guitar (including the 12-string for a stark reading of the addiction mantra “CCKMP”), and mandolin for crowd favorite, “Copperhead Road (performed early in the set, Earle jokingly acknowledged, so that people could slip out early on a Sunday night if they so preferred). It didn’t appear that anyone exited, though, as the crowd enthusiastically pressed on and grew more and more gleeful as the show raged forward well past the two-hour mark, a comforting feeling in this day and age of the abbreviated festival set. The songs got looser, the audience’s dance moves became more noticeable, and Earle and The Dukes ripped through 25-plus songs in all, including some nimble covers of The Band’s “Rag Momma Rag”, ZZ Top’s “Francine” (a nice touch for Texas), and a blistering take on “Wild Thing” to close out the second and final encore.

At the age of 60, Steve Earle shows little sign of wear and tear. It’s a good bet to continue marking your calendars because his restless energy, creative meanderings, and penchant for rabble-rousing should certainly keep his career active and entertaining for quite a while longer yet.

Top photo by Ted Barron

Setlist:

Baby Baby Baby (Baby)

You’re The Best Lover That I Ever Had

Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now

Baby’s Just As Mean As Me

Love’s Gonna Blow My Way

My Old Friend The Blues

Someday

Guitar Town

Copperhead Road

Goodbye

Sparkle & Shine

Thought You Should Know

Galway Girl

Little Emperor

The Usual Time

South Nashville Blues

CCKMP

Better Off Alone

Go-Go Boots Are Back

The Tennessee Kid

King Of The Blues/Hey Joe

Encore 1:

Remember Me

Juanita

Rag Momma Rag

Down The Road

Acquainted With The Wind

Encore 2:

Francine

The Revolution Starts Now

Wild Thing

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