by Robert Kinsler |
My review originally appeared at www.musicnewsnashville.com
Stagecoach always books the biggest
names in country music as headliners, but the undercard acts often steal the
show.
Such was the case at last weekend's sold out festival in Indio, Calif.,
where The Lone Bellow, John & Jacob, Nikki Lane, Lindi Ortega and Lydia
Loveless all delivered strong performances.
Meanwhile, legends like Mac Davis,
Eric Burdon and the Oak Ridge Boys proved they could still hold their own.
The large outdoor Mane stage was the
site of sharp early-to-late evening turns by Dierks Bentley, the Band Perry and
Blake Shelton. Each received enthusiastic receptions from a crowd that had been
doing plenty of "day drinking" (just ask Parmalee) and working on
their suntans.
American flags were once again the
fashion statement of choice, with the 'ol red, white and blue worn in every way
imaginable. I spotted a young man walking around the tents sporting rabbit ears
like he'd just stepped out of an EDM tent at Coachella 2 the previous week.
Could he have been to both fests? Possibly, but highly unlikely. More than
200,000 people attended the ninth annual event at Empire Polo Field.
FRIDAY
Heavy winds put a slight damper on
the proceedings, but that didn't stop the party. As always, I started my
Stagecoach experience in the tents.
by Kelly A. Swift |
Lydia Loveless drew a good sized
afternoon audience to the Palomino tent with her vigorous brand of alt-country.
The young Ohio native's "no holds barred" lyrics recalled
vintage Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne during tracks from 2014's Somewhere Else, particularly the pedal
steel-infused title track (containing a subtle nod to Tommy Tutone), a Byrdsy
"Wine Lips," riff rocker "To Love Somebody" and
"Head."
Immediately following her was The
Lone Bellow, whose set had all the fervor of a church sermon, minus all the
rhetoric. The Brooklyn-based Americana trio opened with "Then Came the
Morning," from its robust new album of the same name co-produced by The
National's Aaron Dessner. A joyous "Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold"
prompted several cowgirls to dance along.
Highly expressive lead singer Zach
Williams briefly stood on bales of hay in front of the stage to make a more
indelible impression. "Fake Roses" proved inspiring. The true standout
moment arrived after the supporting band left and it was just an acoustic
guitar and three supple harmonies left on the spiritual-tinged "Watch Over
Us."
by Kelly A. Swift |
High-tailing it over to the Mane
stage, Parmalee's mass appeal country rock seemed to go over well with the
buzzed afternoon audience, notably on "Back in the Day," the blaring
guitars of "Musta Had a Good Time" and closing hit single
"Carolina."
by Kelly A. Swift |
Kacey Musgraves had made previous
appearances at Stagecoach, but none were on the Mane stage - until Friday.
Mostly performing songs from her winsome, multiple award-winning '13 effort Same Trailer Different Park, the
easygoing Texan arrived to the sound of an old Spaghetti Western movie theme.
The
laconic, Sheryl Crow-styled "Blowin' Smoke" got a rousing response.
So did her playful cover of TLC's "No Scrubs" and Stagecoach
headliner Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart" (Musgraves co-wrote
it). Folksy current single "Biscuits" and whistling "High
Time" served as fine tasters for upcoming album Pageant Material, due in June. Finally, she finished with hit
singles "Merry Go Round" and the free spirited "Follow Your
Arrow."
Back in the Mustang tent, veteran
Steve Earle (pictured below) served up a top notch dose of blues tunes culled from solid latest
effort Terraplane and several others dating back to the Eighties. Alongside his
exceptional longtime band The Dukes, the outlaw country artist began with a
harmonica blast and the swampy "You're the Best Lover That I Ever
Had."
by Kelly A. Swift |
Fiddler/keyboardist Eleanor Whitmore got some lead vocal spotlights,
as on the new album. Rocking classics "Guitar Town" and
"Copperhead Road" still packed quite a wallop, while the inclusion of
"Ben McCulloch" was a welcome surprise.
That night, Jake Owen appeared on
the Mane stage before Tim McGraw and his tunes went down real easy. The country
prince of surf 'n' sand vibes (the king would be Kenny Chesney), opened with -
you guessed it - some smooth rap-styled cadences during No.1 single
"Beachin'."
by Kelly A. Swift |
From there, "I'll Go Anywhere with You" saw him
do some electric guitar work and working both sides of the stage. Owen professed
his teenage admiration for Sublime before indulging in a bit of "What
I Got" and other famous rock riffs. A serious cover of James Taylor's
"Fire and Rain" was a nicely done. Highlights included other chart
toppers like "Alone with You" (prefaced by an awkward intro about how
his mother liked the booty call song) and the soaring closer "Barefoot
Blue Jean Night."
SATURDAY
Sometimes the quietest music can
make the mightiest impression. Case in point: John Moreland's early afternoon
set in the Palomino tent. Performing solo acoustic, the singer/guitarist let
wrenching folk tunes such as "You Don't Care for Me Enough to
Cry" (key lyric: "I'm the kind of love that hurts to look at"),
"Cherokee" and "Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars" from new
alt-country album High on Tulsa Heat
do all the talking. Not everything was bleak though. "Oh Julia," from
2013, bore a more positive outlook.
by Robert Kinsler |
Nikki
Lane arrived next at Palomino with attitude aplenty. The South Carolina-bred
singer and fashion designer and her band delivered one of the day's more
memorable sets. She kicked things off with a spirited take on the Buddy &
Julie Miller rave up "Gasoline and Matches."
During "Man
Up," Lane sang with a stutter about a good for nothing husband. She
described another song as about "being stoned in a small town" to
crowd laughter and peppy new one "700,000 Rednecks" by conveying her
future aspiration to headline Stagecoach. A twangy "Right Time" (from
last year's solid Dan Auerbach-produced All
or Nothin') spotlighted her Tammy Wynette-styled vocals well, as did well chose
Byrds, Faces and Waylon Jennings covers.
"You still remember me; that's
great, said a semi-astonished Mac Davis, during his rare Southern California appearance at the
Palomino tent. The singer/songwriting legend and actor, now 73, utilized
an acoustic guitar duo "Storytellers" format and shared humorous
stories about penning tunes for Elvis Presley before playing
"Memories," "In the Ghetto" and "A Little Less
Conversation." Davis said the latter's resurgence in the 2000s, due to a
hit Junkie XL dance remix and prominent film and TV placements, was unexpected.
by Kelly A. Swift |
He was in decent vocal form during
pop and country hits like "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a title
suggested by former Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen), "Baby, Don't
Get Hooked on Me" ("this makes me feel like a dirty old man,"
admitted the entertainer), not to mention the equally popular "It's Hard
to Be Humble," "Texas in My Rear View Mirror" and closer "I
Believe in Music." The crowd heartily sang along.
Popular ABC-TV drama
"Nashville," which revolves around the country music biz, sent along
three of its actor/singers to the festival in advance of a national tour in May.
They packed the Palomino and went down a storm. Each one did about a half hour
onstage, ably backed by the band Sixwire.
First up was Chris Carmack, who
portrays a closeted gay country singer. He mixed songs from the show
("What if I Was Willing," "I'm on It") along with promising
mid-tempo selections from an upcoming solo EP ("Too Many Pieces")
that were in more of a Rob Thomas pop/rock vein.
Without missing a beat, Clare
Bowen enthusiastically arrived on stage wearing a flowing white dress and
flowers in her hair. She nailed the haunting "Fade into You" in
a duet with the guitarist and belted out the dramatic piano ballad "Black
Roses." Bowen finished with a jubilant cover of KT Tunstall's 2004 hit
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."
by Kelly A. Swift |
Eli Young Band's "Drunk Last
Night" could easily have been the mantra for thousands of people at
Stagecoach. The Texans' Mane stage set was a real crowd pleaser - at least to
those paying attention. Songs from the new Turn
it Up EP fared well live - especially the buoyant title track. The band - led by Mike Eli (above) - did
their usual segue from "Even if It Breaks Your Heart" into Tom Petty's
"Learning to Fly" and "Crazy Girl" prompted an arm waving
singalong.
Having missed the announcement that
Mickey Gilley's set time and stage were both changed, I unfortunately only
caught the last 15 minutes. Yet I arrived at a good time: a suite devoted to
the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, which
helped revitalize Gilley's career and same-named nightclub in 1980. The country
legend, 79, let his female singers do most of the heavy vocal lifting, but he
sounded fairly sturdy on the No. 1 single "Stand by Me" and the
Johnny Lee hit "Lookin' for Love."
Dierks Bentley's amped up
performance on the Mane stage was sheer craziness. So it was only appropriate
that the singer kicked it off with a dance remix intro of "5150,"
before transitioning to the actual feisty tune. From there, the set included
several selections aimed for the party hearty: "Am I the Only One,"
"Tip it on Back," "What Was I Thinkin',"
"Sideways" and electrifying capper, "Drunk on a Plane."
At
various points, Bentley invited a fan onstage to help him imbibe, measured the
body odor of a bandmate, crowd surfed and commented on some gals' American flag
bikinis. Still, it was the less intense moments that resonated more, notably
the ballads "Say You Do," "Every Mile a Memory," soaring
"Home" and "I Hold On" (with a touching story about driving
his late father's old pickup truck). Bentley even recalled driving through the
desert when he lived in Arizona and would make trips into San Diego.
SUNDAY
The third day of Stagecoach is
always a lazier affair, as two full days of partying starts to take its toll.
The people who want to stake out their places behind the reserved seating
section to spread out chairs and blankets arrive early. Everyone else trickles
in the gates.
by Robert Kinsler |
Having heard raves about John &
Jacob's Mane stage set on Saturday, I wasn't going to miss their brief
appearance in the Toyota tent. The band definitely didn’t disappoint. Sporting
matching burgundy suits and shades, the guys' brand of alt-country often
brought to mind the Old '97s. There were terrific harmonies galore.
Standouts
included the finger snapping, harmonica-laden "Ride with Me" and
trumpet-infused "Be My Girl" (featured on the TV show
"Nashville"). Much of the small crowd was line dancing to the
appealing songs and really went wild when John & Jacob did their own rip
roarin' version of "Done," which was co-written with The Band Perry. Can't
wait to see them headline.
With "The Voice" judge
Blake Shelton, plus Cassadee Pope and the Swon Brothers performing at the
festival, the TV show was well represented over the weekend. Last year, Colton
and Zach Swon put out an enjoyable self-titled debut album featuring a co-write
with members of Lady A and a guest appearance by Carrie Underwood.
In Indio, they did hot weather tune
"95," "Pray for You," dramatic ballad "Pretty
Beautiful" (spotlighting the amiable duo's falsetto range). Moving easily
from acoustic to electric guitar, they also did a great bluesy cover of Bill
Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and a fun Eagles/Doobie Brothers medley.
"I've been working on my
guns," exclaimed Frankie Ballard, showing solidarity with all the buffed
bodies seen in the audience. He was so excited about being on the roomy Mane
stage that he even did some leg kicks. The raspy-voiced country rocker displayed
impressive electric guitar chops amid some swelling organ on "Young &
Crazy." He teased bits of AC/DC and ZZ Top before the earthy ballad
"Helluva Life."
Then the Detroit native paid tribute to his roots
with Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll," extended for a long jaunt
through the extended and general admission sections. When some gals near me saw
Ballard pass by, one said, "let's go make out with him." The other
replied, "I would if I could."
by Robert Kinsler |
Back at the Palomino, the masters of
group harmonies (barbershop, gospel or otherwise) known as the Oak Ridge Boys
proved they could still connect like few others after decades together. A total
celebration, their fun and way-too-short set featured seamless vocal tradeoffs
and ample highlights: "American Made" (where the crowd clapped
along), "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" (the three
guitarists did synchronized moves), "Love Song," "Trying to Love
Two Women" and finally, "Elvira," where Richard Sterban's low
bass voice is still a wonder to behold. I was also amazed by Joe Bonsall's
energy as he dashed across the stage a few times.
Sara Evans brought some expert
country/pop balladry to the Mane stage, with dramatic songs like "A Little
Bit Stronger," "I Could Not Ask for More" and the Rod Stewart-popularized
"My Heart Can't Tell You No." Each was punctuated by wailing vocals
and even a sustained note or two.
The Band Perry did a dazzling performance
at sunset. Despite touring latest album Pioneer
for the last two years, there was no sign of fatigue. The energetic sibling
trio opened with "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" and only occasionally let
up on the gas. "Done" was a pure adrenaline rush; "Night Gone
Wasted," a real stomper. Elsewhere, "I'm a Keeper" was strong
and the more stripped down Grammy-winning cover of Glen Campbell hit
"Gentle on My Mind" and "If I Die Young" both proved
endearing live." Their usual take on Queen's "Fat Bottomed
Girls" merged from rock to country hoedown, while Mark Ronson & Bruno
Mars' "Uptown Funk" worked surprisingly well in the Perrys’ able
hands.
Before Blake Shelton closed the
Stagecoach proceedings, "Something Bad" - his wife Miranda Lambert's
duet with Carrie Underwood - served as the intro music. When Shelton emerged on
the Mane stage, he said, "Let’s go out with a bang and raise some
hell." The first half of the mostly solid two hour performance was a
little heavy on mid-tempo numbers that made the female fans swoon
("Doin' What She Likes," "She Wouldn't Be Gone," "Mine
Would Be You," current single "Sangria").
Shelton joked about
all the guys who were probably dragged to watch his set. In
reality, nothing else was going on. But there were just enough attitude
heavy tunes ("'Ol Red," "Kiss My Country Ass,"
"Hillbilly Bone," "The More I Drink") to rope the guys in
too. Later, he brought backing singer Gwen Sebastian (yet another alum
from "The Voice") front and center for a duet on "My Eyes."
To read another review of Stagecoach, go to www.rockwrite.blogspot.com
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