There may be no better summertime venue in the Front Range than (sorry, Red Rocks), especially when the moon is nearly full and it spills into the doorways of the building. And when the music inside is great too, well, thatap just a bonus. So, on Thursday night, while rollicked through an impressive four-decades-deep catalog, the atmosphere inside (and out) was electric.
See photos of Steve Earle in Boulder in 2013 below:
In preparation for this review – and to hear Earle at his most recent – I’d spent many work days with a Spotify playlist of “The Low Highway” playing in the background. That album’s band (and the crew for this show) was made up partly of the Dukes (longtime bassist and drummer) and the Mastersons (Eleanor Whitmore and Ryan Masterson). The group on stage was symbolically situated between new and old – the Mastersons on stage right and the Dukes on the left, divided by Earle in center stage. The age disparity didn’t belie the mastery of all players on instruments, though, which ranged from fiddle to accordion, ukulele, upright bass, and more. The piano, itap worth noting, was first employed by Earle this night for “Pocket Full of Rain,” a real melodic beauty from Low Highway. “This is my 15th studio album. And this is my first piano song,” Earle introed.
Itap easy for Chautauqua-playing acts to be wrapped up in their Boulder gig, with the natural beauty around the venue inspiring loads of admiration. But never did Earle remark on Boulder. In fact, “we” (the town and audience of locals) took a distinct back seat to a place more fitting of Earle’s recent past: New Orleans.
What could be described as a “f*ck you” ballad for natural disasters, “That All You Got?” felt distinctly a reaction to the hurricane-ravaged city. Earle talked about Louisiana several more times during the evening, illuminating the town in other songs like “After Mardi Gras.” It makes sense as his role as an actor and songwriter for the HBO show, Treme, uses New Orleans as its key character.
Passion-filled and never letting up, the fire-engine red shirt Earle wore was never more fitting than during his second of two encores, playing “Wild Thing” and, while the other players left the stage, Earle pumped a single fist. Head-down reverb filled the night air.
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Craig Randall is a PR and marketing professional in the outdoor sports industry. See his work and diversions at .
