delivered an even mix of blues and broken-heart songs during a two-hour set at the in Boulder on Friday night. Earle is out on the road promoting “Terraplane” — his “first blues album, but not my first blues songs,” he said of the record.
The outlaw country icon is known for writing scathing political songs, but he explained to the audience that he actually writes way more songs about women. He and his latest wife, Allison Moorer, split up last year (he’s been married seven times, twice to the same woman). “So I just went through another divorce … not my first rodeo,” he told the crowd part way through his set. The silver lining in all these breakups, he said, is that the songs he writes about heartache are his to keep. Earle was good-humored and energetic throughout the night, and he even cracked a joke about his prolific beard: “Who let Allen Ginsberg in here?”
The Chautauqua seats about 1,300 and is unique for being a giant barn built in 1898, and that no alcohol or other concessions are served inside. The Mastersons, husband-and-wife duo Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, are the newest additions to the Dukes, and they played a short opening set before joining Earle alongside longtime players Will Rigby on drums and Kelly Looney on bass. Masterson is impressive on the guitar and Whitmore even more so on the fiddle, mandolin, keyboards … you name it. She sang backup vocals for a number of songs, including Earle’s latest duet, “Baby’s Just as Mean as Me.” Earle himself switched instruments song by song, alternating from harmonica to guitar to mandolin.
Songs from “Terraplane” took the spotlight — the band played 10 of the album’s 11 tracks. Standout performances from the new release were “The Tennessee Kid,” a spoken blues song, and “You’re the Best Lover That I Ever Had.” The band played songs from at least 10 of Earle’s 16 studio albums. Older material included “Guitar Town,” “My Old Friend the Blues” and “Copperhead Road,” his mandolin-strumming signature song. A noteworthy contrast was the performance of “Goodbye” — “the first song I ever wrote sober,” Earle said –- and, later, “CCKMP,” Earle’s love letter to heroin. He’s been clean for 20 years now this September.
The band played a few cover tunes as well: Masterson’s guitar prowess was at full force during a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s version of “Hey Joe,” and Earle paid tribute to blues legend Howlin’ Wolf with “Forty Four.”
One of the few times Earle did get political was during the encore, when the band played brand new song “Mississippi, Itap Time.” As the title suggests, the song is a call to the southern state to change its controversial flag. The song will be released as a digital single on Sept. 11.
Setlist:
1. Baby Baby Baby (Baby)
2. You’re the Best Lover That I Ever Had
3. Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now
4. Baby’s Just as Mean as Me
5. Love’s Gonna Blow My Way
6. My Old Friend the Blues
7. Someday
8. Guitar Town
9. Copperhead Road
10. Goodbye
11. Sparkle and Shine
12. I Thought You Should Know
13. The Galway Girl
14. Little Emperor
15. Acquainted with the Wind
16. South Nashville Blues
17. CCKMP
18. Forty Four (Howlin’ Wolf cover)
19. The Usual Time
20. That All You Got?
21. Go-Go Boots Are Back
22. Better Off Alone
23. The Tennessee Kid
24. King of the Blues
25. Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Encore:
26. Mississippi, Itap Time
27. Down the Road Part II
28. Down the Road
