It seemed an odd booking choice when it was announced that Alejandro Escovedo would play the tiny White Eagle in Portland. After all, he could have easily played a larger venue. But the living room-like feel of the room made it clear that the renowned musician was aiming for a different sort of vibe this time around. Currently, Escovedo is on tour in support of his upcoming album Burn Something Beautiful, which comes out on October 28th. The album was recorded in Portland, so Thursday’s show felt more special than normal as the always impeccably dressed Escovedo took to the small stage with only his acoustic guitar.
“There will be no guitar solos,” said Escovedo before playing. This would be mostly true throughout the set, although he would use effects and distortion to give certain songs a bit more of an edge than a typical acoustic set. From the beginning, it was clear stories would take precedent over solos. Between every song, Escovedo would regale the attentive audience with tales from a life lived in the glorious trenches of rock and roll. This began with his confessing to having recently left his longtime home of Austin, Texas for Dallas, a move that surprised many in the music community there. Escovedo explained his dismay at watching Austin sell its soul to the rich before kicking off his ominous ode “Bottom of the World”. He would stick to older material with the punk-inflected “Sally Was A Cop” (dedicated to Donald Trump) and “Velvet Guitar” before dropping into the rootsy new song “Heartbeat Smile”. Surprisingly, this would be one of the only new songs played.
With spirits high, Escovedo shared the strange story behind “Dear Head On The Wall” before recounting his wild punk rocker days that inspired the gritty tune “Chelsea Hotel”. The NYC vein continued with a soulful “Down In The Bowery” before Escovedo closed the set with what, at this point, may be his most popular tune – “Always A Friend”. He prefaced the song by telling the audience about being invited to perform it with Bruce Springsteen in Houston as a peak moment in his career.
There was no backstage for Escovedo to duck into at the end of his set, so he jumped offstage for a minute and quickly came back for a charming cover of David Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes”, inviting the audience to sing along. Thursday’s show may have lacked the rock and roll intensity Alejandro Escovedo is known for, and it will be interesting to see if he eventually tours with a full band to support his new album. The lucky fans able to get into the sold out White Eagle were instead presented with a more intimate, candid side of Escovedo, getting a special look at the craft of his songwriting and the stories that inspire him.
Setlist:
“Bottom of the World”
“Sally Was A Cop” (this goes out to Donald Trump)
“Velvet Guitar”
“Heartbeat Smile”
“Dear Head On The Wall”
“Chelsea Hotel”
“Down In The Bowery”
“Always A Friend”
Encore:
“All The Young Dudes”
