The Turnpike Troubadours- Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA 7/15/14 (SHOW REVIEW)

In their first ever Boston appearance, Oklahoma City country rockers Turnpike Troubadours were surprised to find Boston’s Paradise near full to capacity.  But that was nothing compared to their amazement when the audience sang along word for word with the band’s opener “Every Girl.”   Curly haired, charismatic lead singer and guitarist Evan Felker dressed in blue jeans and a denim shirt clearly channeled the crowd’s energy. “7 & 7”, with the classic lyric, “I had no clue I’d be the boy your Mother warned you about” almost came across hurried in all the excitement.

Dressed in blue jeans, plaid western shirt and cowboy hat fiddler Kyle Nix shared center stage with Felker.  The two front men were bookended on the left by guitarist Ryan Engelman and right by bassist R.C. Edwards who were both bearded and dressed in western attire.  Drummer Gabriel Pearson was barely visible behind the kit for most of the evening.  A large, yellow silkscreen sporting the band’s battling roosters logo served as a backdrop to an otherwise bare stage.

The band began to find its groove with the up-tempo “Shreveport” whose reoccurring lyrical theme is about “learning things they don’t teach you in school.”  The tune featured an interesting fiddle and acoustic breakdown.   The band’s set list drew largely from their last two albums, Goodbye Normal Street and Diamonds and Gasoline, respectively.  While the recordings feature numerous instruments in complex arrangements the live performances are a little different. The live renditions of the songs come across whiskey soaked and smelling of camel no filters.

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The loose treatment adds to the live show as evidenced on “Gin, Smoke and Lies” where Felker switched from acoustic to banjo giving the tune a darker tone. As evidenced in “Good Lord Lorrie” about a “bitch from Southwest Arkansas” the band lyrically exhibits wisdom beyond its years and their musical abilities are not far behind. “Easton and Main” from their 2007 debut, Bossier City found Edwards switching from stand up to electric bass and the song’s sound had a real Eagles’ country rock flavor.  Engelman, who didn’t stop moving throughout the whole set stepped on the gas with “Before the Devil Knows We’re Dead.”  His electric guitar riff sounded close to a Charlie Daniels’ fiddle line, while Pearson’s drumbeat drove the sound while Nix’ numerous fiddle solos were punctuated by his entertaining, demonstrative facial expressions.

After 45 minutes of straight-ahead country rock, the melodic ballad, “Wrecked” gave the band and audience a needed breather.  Engelman moved to slide guitar while the numerous, young, attractive cowgirls in attendance hung on Felker’s delivery.  He was stationary at the mike most of the night while his eyes darted and rolled to the music.    The band introduced a new number, “Time of Day,” an alternative rock number that could do with a little road seasoning.

Referred to as “Red Dirt” rockers based on a description of the geographical area in Texas where they cut their bones, the Troubadours clearly know how to put on a live show.  In fact the name comes from the time spent travelling back and forth on the southeastern Oklahoma Indian Nation Turnpike.   The set closing numbers “Morgan Street”, “Whole Damn Town”, and “Kansas City Southern” found the band smoking and the crowd singing along euphorically.

For the encore Felker started solo, acoustic on “Diamonds and Gasoline” and was then joined by Nix for a cover of the Beatles’, “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”  Bassist Edwards lead the crowd in a rendition of “This Land Is Your Land,” while beer cans and an empty fifth of whiskey dotted the stage. Similarly situated mentally the crowd led the band in the closing blues, spiritual “Long Hot Summer Days.”  Boston usually has a knack for promoting new artists destined for bigger venues and the city’s support of the Turnpike Troubadours is a testament to their bright future.

Turnpike Troubadours Setlist Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, USA 2014

 

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