Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne played the Saenger on Thursday night, and she was just wonderful. It was good to hear her live -- she doesn't just sing the songs so that you might as well be listening to a cd; she has new arrangements for them, making her songs fresh and new. She did many of my old favorites, such as Where I'm From (which I swear is on I am Shelby Lynne, but it's not listed on the amazon.com track list), a song about Alabama that is so beautiful it makes me want to stay here the rest of my life. What was really nice, however, was that she did songs from the new album she's working on --- one probably called I'm No Fool and the other most likely titled Your Alibi. Both were songs about the end of a relationship, making me wonder if that's going to be the theme of her new album. They also made me think that the new record (she actually used that word -- "record"!) is going to be more similar in tone to Suit Yourself, which is lovely, than to Identity Crisis, with its delightful surprises (like the gospel-infused 10 Rocks and the rock-country flavored Buttons and Beaus. )

The Audience

I expected a rowdy audience, even though the concert was on a Thursday night, because Shelby Lynne is a hometown girl (her grandmother and other family were in the audience) and she hasn't played Mobile since 1991. I wasn't disappointed. My ears, however, were assaulted by some woman behind me who kept whistling in this really high pitch, the frequency of which really hurt my ears, and yelling, "Shelby, we love you!" at the top of her lungs. On the other side of the theater, people were yelling, "Shelby, Shelby!" and "Welcome home, Shelby!" She was gracious about all this and didn't tell people to shut up, which I might have considered, and she seemed genuinely glad to be back in Mobile. It was great to see her -- too bad the audience also had to be there.

Wilco

The Show

I've never seen Wilco before and never really thought that they'd come here, but they did. Thanks to Robin, I found out in time to buy really good tickets -- I was three rows back and almost in the center. I've been to so many shows where I couldn't see the band that well but I had no trouble seeing Wilco. Sorry the picture is so small and unclear -- I really should have learned to use my digital camera before the concert, not during. They opened the show with You Are My Face and did almost everything I love except Forget the Flowers. I'd heard that they played 2 and a half hours at the Ryman right before this concert and, of course, they'd been on Saturday Night Live, so I wasn't expecting much from this show, figuring they'd be tired. If they were tired, they didn't show it. They played a straight 2 and a half hour show here too that was energetic and simply amazing. And the show was TIGHT -- I like other artists better than I like Wilco (and please don't get me wrong -- I love Wilco) but I've never seen a better show than the one Wilco put on. I understand why people travel to see them; if they come to Atlanta, I'll go. I don't have the world's best memory, so this is the set list someone posted on Via Chicago from our show -- I think there was more and the list is in no order:

Airline to heaven
California Stars
Box Full of letters
Pick up the change
Passenger side
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Kingpin
Muzzle of Bees
Hummingbird
Handshake Drugs
Wishful thinking
Theologians
You are my face
Impossible Germany ( absolutely incredible solo by Nels)
Side with the seeds
Hate it Here (this was fun with the audience also singing the "hate it here" part)
Walken
What Light
Via Chicago
A Shot in the Arm
War on War
Jesus Etc.
Heavy Metal Drummer
I'm the man who loves you
Pot Kettle Black
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Magazine called Sunset

I'd heard a rumor or read somewhere that once they did Heavy Metal Drummer, they didn't do any more songs. It must not be true; they came out for an encore where they did at least five songs.

The Audience

You know I have to describe the audiences because they are always so awful here -- this was not true of the Wilco show. People listened and responded to the band, but there was no one really obnoxious except the Drunk Rowdy Guy sitting right next to me. He shouted, "Whoooo!!!!" right in my ear -- I finally told him that when he did that, he actually hurt my ears. DRG said, "Well you must have never been to a rock concert and the band must really bother you then." I said, "They are not shrieking right in my ear like you are." I finally decided to ignore him -- he was NOT going to ruin my Wilco experience. His friend got up and changed seats with him so I was no longer next to DRG.

The Shuffle

1. Howlin' Down the Cumberland: John Hiatt from Master of Disaster
2. Gone Daddy Gone: Gnarls Barkley from St. Elsewhere
3. Impossible Germany: Wilco from Sky Blue Sky
4. I'm the Man Who Loves You: Wilco from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
5. Goodbye to You: Michelle Branch from The Spirit Room
6. Hate It Here: Wilco from Sky Blue Sky
7. Since U Been Gone: Kelly Clarkson from Breakaway
8. Oh, Mary Don't You Weep: Bruce Springsteen from We Shall Overcome
9. Gravedigger: Dave Matthews from Some Devil
10. Amy, Amy, Amy: Amy Winehouse from Frank
    

Music News

This area has had a lot of good people come here in the last few years; sadly Wilco is not among the groups traveling here -- the closest they will be is Atlanta. However, someone who I've adored for years is going to be in concert in my town:

This is Emmylou Harris. She's practically a country music icon. I don't think of her as only country, however. She's sung with the likes of Warren Zevon and Mark Knopfler as well as Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Rodney Crowell. The purity of her voice gets to the emotion of a song every time. She'll be here September 28 and I cannot wait even if I do have to put up with the local audiences in order to see her.

Taylor Hicks and the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra

Taylor Hicks was here a few days ago and since he was always my pick to win American Idol (yes, I like AI -- shut up) and a friend had tickets, I went. Our seats were very close so I could actually see him. Hicks was fantastic -- he really looked like he was having fun. He sang my favorite Susan Tedeschi tune -- Gonna Move (her version tops his by a mile but his was still good) -- and he ended with my very favorite Shelby Lynne song, Where I'm From (Shelby Lynne is from Alabama and the song is about here) plus the Doobie Brothers -- he was great, especially on the Shelby Lynne song. It's as if these lyrics meant something special to him:

all I'm trying to say is I'm
never far away from an
Alabama frame of mind

And he really captured the soulfulness of that song -- something he just missed with Tedeschi's Gonna Move.

It's the audiences that make concerts difficult for me. I still maintain that if I'm going to a concert, I should have to approve every single person who wants to go to the same concert. I think if I pay for seats I should be able to remain seated and still see the show. Everyone where we were stood up through the whole thing. Why? I don't get that. If this were at the Fairgrounds, sure -- that's what you expect -- it's even part of the fun. Then there was this freaky shrieking banshee (I know that's redundant but she really shrieked a lot and she was loud) behind me. During the opening band's show (they were The Greyhounds -- they were good) she kept shrieking, "Taylor! Taylor!" Then she was apparently under the delusion that:

1. I paid to hear her sing not Taylor and
2. I cared what she thought. She kept singing every freaking song really loud -- I was lucky to hear him. When he sang Shelby Lynne's Where I'm From, she shrieked, "I LOVE that song!" Well, so do I -- the difference between the two of us is that I didn't feel the need to let the entire audience know about it. I told the person I was with that if she saw my hand sneak back there to punch anyone she needed to stop me.
   

I felt sorry for the poor usher who had to keep coming down the aisle and making those idiots get at least in the row they were supposed to be in instead of in the aisles - she had to make several people leave and go to their seats in the back.

After the show, we went over to a local bar where Taylor Hick's former band, the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, was playing. We went because my friend loves Taylor Hicks and she heard that he often sits in with this band. Well, he didn't show but I was happy because LMBO was very good and I'd been introduced to a new band whose music I enjoyed. I came away with one of their cds. Here everyone was standing and dancing but it's that kind of venue so I expected that and was fine with it.