Steve Earle
Many performers come and go through the stage doors of Nashville’s Mother Church, but you can always expect something special when the artist has roots planted deep in Music City. Crowds can usually look forward to a story as well as a show, and, if you’re lucky, expect a few local special guests to grace the stage at the Ryman Auditorium.
The cowboy-hat- and flip-flop-clad crowd at Steve Earle’s Ryman show on Wednesday night was able to witness all three of these Nashville concert ingredients in one night, creating the perfect culmination of country, blues and a little bit of rowdy stomping.
Legendary Nashville singer, songwriter and producer Buddy Miller opened Earle’s show along with his string-picking, fedora-wearing band, immediately transporting the crowd to a retro Southern folk music scene with his opening riffs. The only aspect of the performance that kept me tethered to the 21st century was Miller’s longtime friend and one-third of the McCrary Sisters, Regina McCrary, with her bedazzled shirt and silver bangle bracelets catching the light every time she banged her tambourine.
After a few storytimes and heart-to-hearts with his “favorite room,” Miller welcomed Nashville treasure and former bandmate Emmylou Harris to the stage for a duet rendition of his song “Wide River to Cross.” Harris was the first of multiple guests throughout the night, and we certainly hadn’t seen the last of her yet.
Two tuning battles with his guitar and a tambourine jam session later, Miller and company dismantled their close-knit setup to clear the stage for the acoustic main show.
Following a brisk walk and a few waves to the crowd, Earle wasted no time on talking as he opened with a goodbye tune: his farewell ode to Nashville, “Tennessee Blues.”
Although the set unfolded a bit backwards, Earle’s goodbye was just the beginning of a set that would span his 20-plus-album career. With only a guitar, a harmonica and a mysterious extra microphone to his left, it was a performance that showcased the true integrity of the phrase “less is more” and left nothing to be desired.
Earle is a rare type of master storyteller, sharing the legacy of his life and honoring his mentors through song. He mastered the twang of classic country with albums like Guitar Town and continuously expanded into folk and Americana territory throughout his 50-year career, all while continuing to maintain a steady grip on the country music charts decade after decade.
Buddy Miller
“Would you please make welcome Emmylou Harris,” Earle said. “You think she could come out and sing with Buddy and not sing with me? She sings with everybody.”
Longtime friend and former tourmate Harris reemerged onstage as Earle’s first special guest to take up a place at the mysterious extra microphone. The two greeted each other with a salute and joined in a duet of “Goodbye.” Earle then welcomed his sister Stacey Earle as the second mystery-microphone guest of the night, and she joined him for their transcendental brother-sister ballad “When I Fall.”
Stacey Earle, Harris and Miller all reconvened onstage to join Earle in a dedicated rendition of “Harlem River Blues,” written by his son Justin Townes Earle, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2020.
“I’m kind of an expert on these things … so what you can do for me is hear me when I say, ‘It’s out there,’” Earle explained during a heartfelt speech about his late son’s cause of death. “So just hear me when I say ‘Be careful,’ and help me sing this song.”
After the emotional moment, Earle switched gears and instruments to accompany an upbeat performance of his Celtic-folk ballad “Galway Girl,” and ended the show with a bang: his biggest, catchiest and line-dancing-est hit “Copperhead Road.” Seeing as how there wasn’t much room for full-on dancing, fans shook the pews as they got about as rowdy as they could manage while sitting down in packed rows.
Earle reappeared for a two-song encore, bringing back Miller for a cover of “Sin City” by The Flying Burrito Brothers. The real final song of the night called for a little extra help, with Earle inviting Stacy Earle, Harris, Miller and the final special guest, guitarist and singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, to the stage. The Nashville hero quintet performed an ethereal, stripped-back version of “Pilgrim,” a song from Earle’s 1999 collaborative album with the Del McCoury Band, The Mountain.
Although Earle has left his Nashville nest behind, with such an extensive Music City family supporting him both in his recorded music endeavors and at his live shows, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he’ll always have time for a pit stop in his good ol’ “Guitar Town.”
The Spin: Steve Earle at Ryman Auditorium, 8/28/2024
Buddy Miller
