Lucinda Williams: Rockin' In The Free World
When you think of Lucinda Williams, you first think of songs filled with angst and pain. Her quirky voice lends itself to a style of the alternative country or Americana music genres.
If you came to see her show last Friday night, at The Vic, in Chicago, you were in for a surprise. It was a good surprise.
Williams sprinkled in a variety of old tunes and songs from her new album. But this was a two hour show of rock and roll....and man did it rock.
She started out a little shaky, both in voice and demeanor. There were lots of discussions with her sound person and the band members. But then the music started to soar and it never stopped.
Williams' band included Stuart Mathis on Guitar, David Sutton on Bass and Butch Norton, who put on a spectacular performance on drums and percussion. She showed her generosity by giving these guy space to shine, often moving to the side of the stage and letting the band play extended instrumental jams. These guys are world class musicians.
The crowd was definitely on her side, bringing Williams and the band back for three encores. It prompted her to say that she could play all night. That would be been fine.
The show ended with "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" by Blues legend Robert Johnson, followed by Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World"and finally closing with "Ain't My Cross To Bear" by Gregg Allman.
This was one of the best shows of the year. If you came to The Vic looking for a night of music like her albums, you didn't get that...you got a lot more.