Putting on a good show – really.

Steve Earle, 2007, Cambridge Folk Festival

Saw Steve Earle this weekend at Massey Hall in Toronto. I’d see pretty much anyone at Massey Hall (except Simple Plan. I think I’d have to pass on that), but seeing a great like Earle there is going to be exceptional experience. The sound is so good, and the performers like playing there, it’s always a great time. Earle definitely did not disappoint either, putting together a really nice acoustic set of his Townes Van Zandt covers and his own classics as well. And he wove much of it together with personal antecdotes set to strumming, giving it an almost spoken-word feel. It was really nice.

The thing that really stood out to my boyfriend and I at the end was just how good an overall show it was, in that it was truly a performance. We see a lot of shows, and the performance aspect of it can often be lost, whether it’s in shyness, arrogance, or plain old bad stage presence. But Earle was a consummate pro, even thanking the audience for coming out to a somewhat expensive show in the middle of a recession. It was nice, and refreshing. We really felt that we got our money’s worth at the end (especially when he played Copperhead Road, a song he’s probably played a billion times in his career. But it’s an awesome song, and I’m glad he played it).

Photo: Flickr CC