Steve Earle resumed his national tour a couple of months ago after years of abstinence due to the impact of Covid. I have been listening to him faithfully on his weekly Sirius XM broadcast: -Steve Earle: Hardcore Troubadour. He has been very anxious to get back on the road and support his new release of Jerry Jeff Walker songs. He opens by presenting The Whitmore Sisters with whom I became familiar several months ago through his interview with them. Each sister has been musical in their own projects for years and had not paired up until last year with the idea of a duo project. Their sibling harmonies are rare and beautiful as the sonics will sometimes create a third harmonic with only the two voices. This was a treat! They played only about 6 songs and wrapped up after about 30 minutes. Following intermission Steve and The Dukes took the stage and would not let go. They played for over 2 hours, departed and returned for an encore of close to one half hour. Steve has the rare ability to move into the next song as the last song is not fully faded. He did this for the last half dozen songs as if they were one.
Earle did not pursue a political soapbox which is remarkable in these times. He did encourage everyone to try to listen to others, those who have different viewpoints and listen. He stressed that dialogue and listening are key to restoring unity.
The band was razor sharp and extremely tight. Musicianship was top shelf. A friend who is new to Earle indicated that it was difficult to hear the verses. I have found that live performances often present this issue. I had no trouble hearing each of the 29 names he read; each losing their lives in a poorly managed coal mine. Earle uses his art to express his thoughts and concerns about issues that need attention and correction. His is not necessarily a feel good sing-a-long kind of show. He makes one think and he lays it out in front of you so you can not look away or feign ignorance. Earle lives up to his name and puts the “hardcore” in his title of Hardcore Troubadour.
Thanks to the folks at the Greenwich Odeum and Steve Earle for making it possible for me to visually document this concert. I am most grateful.