Here is a quick review of the Cowboy Junkies concert I saw at The Kalamazoo State Theater last night for anyone interested.
It is pretty rare these days for a band that has been around for almost 40 years to still have all of it’s original members, but The Cowboy Junkies are one such band. The core foursome of Margo, Michael, and Peter Timmons along with Alan Anton were there at the beginning. Long time touring multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird has also been a touring member of the band for all that time as well. It is hard to describe exactly what the Cowboy Junkies do. There are elements of Americana, Alt. Country, Blues, Rock, and Art Rock to their music. Some of the instrumental passages come remarkably close to Post Rock territory as well. Most of their material is dark and brooding and they really sound like no one else. They are all outstanding musicians, although there is nothing too flashy in their playing. When they do solo, everything is precise and on the mark. Margo has let her hair go fully gray these days, but she has lost nothing in her vocal range. Margo is the same age as me (63) and her voice sounds just like it did when she was her 20’s.
Last night’s show had no opening act. Instead, the Junkies performed a 2-set show with intermission. The first set concentrated on their excellent new album “Such Fierce Beauty.” Margo explained that most of the songs on the album were written about the death of her father who had Alzheimer’s among other health problems. It gave the songs even more meaning to know the background behind them. The Cowboy Junkies have always performed cover tunes and the first set ended with a stunning rendition of David Bowie’s “Five Years.”
After intermission, the band came back on for a 2nd set of older tunes. They played their most popular stuff, but also delved into deep album cuts which I really enjoyed. Songs like “Town’s Blues,” “Horse In The Country,” “Murder In The Trailer Park”, “Black Eyed Man” and a dark and sinister cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” were highlights.
The only negative was they did have a sound issue during one of the songs in the 2nd set and had to start over again, but the band managed it like the pros that they are. The Cowboy Junkies remain one of the best bands to ever come out of Canada and have lost nothing over the years. If you are at all into them and this tour is coming to your town it is well worth catching.
Here is the set list:
SET 1:
KNIVES
SWEET JANE
WHAT I LOST
EASY TO BUILD, EASY TO BREAK
CIRCE AND PENNELOPE
HELL IS REAL
FIVE YEARS
INTERMISSION
SET II:
MURDER IN THE TRAILER PARK
CAUSE CHEAP IS HOW I FEEL
TOWNE’S BLUES
WORKING ON A BUILDING
BLACK EYED MAN
HORSE IN THE COUNTRY
FAIRYTALE
HE WILL CALL YOU BABY
STATETROUPER
A COMMEN DISASTER
ENCORE
BLUE MOON REVISITED (A SONG FOR ELVIS)
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Originally Posted by mozo-pg
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