Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider Get Portland Feelin’ Good Again (SHOW REVIEW)

Portland, Oregon was treated to a double feature of storytelling singer/songwriting powerhouses Wednesday night when Todd Snider and Robert Earl Keen played Revolution Hall.

Snider, coming off the fall release of his rock n’ roll party album Eastside Bulldog, came out armed with his acoustic guitar and a harmonica and engaged the crowd immediately with “Ballad of The Kingsmen.” This song encapsulates Snider’s approach to songwriting, delivering societal commentary through often humorous, sometimes poignant folk songs. A gifted storyteller, Snider entertains even when he isn’t playing, and his stories before, after, and even during songs work to add more weight to his compositions.

Snider, who grew up in the Portland area (Beaverton High, class of 1985), included a few regional songs in his set. “D.B. Cooper”, about the 1971 hijacking of a Boeing 727 and the possible fate of the hijacker, was a crowd pleaser. Later, a story about writing “Todd Snider Rules” in a Portland tunnel during his senior year of high school led into “Rose City Blues.” And he closed his set with fan favorite “Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues.”

Snider, although he calls Nashville home now, lived in Texas for a time and talked about following Robert Earl Keen around Austin when he first arrived on the scene. So, it was only appropriate for him to play “Beer Run” from 2002’s New Connection, about some college guys going to see a Robert Earl Keen concert.

Robert Earl Keen took the stage with a full band backing him up. In addition to his acoustic rhythm guitar, Keen was accompanied by drums, electric bass, lead acoustic guitar, violin, and mandolin, along with a multi-instrumentalist that switched from keyboards to pedal steel to lap steel to dobro.

Similar to Snider, Keen’s songs use colorful storytelling and often humor, but also pack an emotional punch. With a career spanning more than 30 years, he’s released a dozen studio albums along with seven live albums. Last fall, Keen released Live Dinner Reunion, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of 1996 release No. 2 Live Dinner. Both releases were recoded live a John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas.

There was a lot of love for Keen in Revolution Hall, and it’s not hard to understand why. A jovial man, he possesses a disarming demeanor that allows his good-humored nature to permeate a room. Early in his set, when he played “Feeling Good Again,” it was clear that this was why fans showed up and were, indeed, feeling good. Although it was a seated show, many of Keen’s songs brought standing ovations from the crowd.

In addition to Keen classics like “Gringo Honeymoon,” “Feeling Good Again,” and the Terry Allen-penned “Amarillo Highway,” the band delved into a few covers, including Peter Rowan’s “Walls of Time’ and The Grateful Dead’s “I Know You Rider.” Todd Snider was invited on stage to help sing his own “Play A Train Song,” which Keen recorded for his album Ready For Confetti.

At the end of Keen’s set, the opening notes of what is almost certainly his most popular song brought howls from the crowd. As Keen led the band through the timeless classic, those in the sold-out crowd couldn’t help but sing along and remind us all that “The Road Goes On Forever, And The Party Never Ends.”

 

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