To say the music of Tyler Childers has found its audience would be an understatement. Last Thursday night, the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon was shoulder-to-shoulder with revelers eagerly anticipating the appearance of their red-haired Kentucky hero.
Before Childers took the stage, the audience was treated to a set by Third Man Records artist Lillie Mae, who’s relatively young age belies her experience. She’s already paid her Nashville dues, having performed at Layla’s Bluegrass Inn for more than 15 years. Jack White brought her into his touring band to play the violin and sing. That, in turn, led to her 2017 Third Man Record release and White-produced album Forever and Then Some. Her band included bass, electric guitar, and her sister Scarlett on mandolin. Together, they comfortably charged through their set, which included the title track to the album, along with standouts “Over the Hill and Through the Woods,” and “Honky Tonks and Taverns.”
Childers and his band came out to a roar from the crowd. Flanked by bass, drums, pedal steel/electric guitar and fiddle, Childers opened with “Bus Route,” and we were off and running. Purgatory’s “Born Again” was played early, and was the first sing-along of the evening. By the end of the night, it would become apparent that many in attendance seemed to know all of the lyrics of Purgatory from top to bottom. But first the band grooved through some lesser-known tunes, including a cover of Shel Silverstein’s “I Got Stoned and I Missed It.”
Soon enough, Childer’s already well-known tunes took over the set. “I Swear (To God),” “Feathered Indians,” “Whitehouse Road,” “Honky Tonk Flame,” and “Universal Sound” provided a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 punch that had the well-lubricated audience ecstatically grooving and singing along.
The end of the set found Childers with his guitar playing a few solo tunes. He tried out a new song that featured the line “I’m All Yours, and You’re All Mine.” After a story about growing up in Kentucky, he played “Lady May,” and then a song he dedicated to his grandma. Childers left the stage, and, much to the crowd’s disappointment, the house lights came up. After lots of cheering, the band came back, the house lights went back down, and, from the sound of things, we were about to be treated to a Tom Petty jam. However, Childers told a joke about a genie and a very short piano man. The band wrapped up the jam and that was that. Not sure if that was the planned ending or not, but it seemed that another original song might have provided a more memorable end to the evening.
Overall, however, what stands out are the songs and the dedicated audience, enduring an over-crowded venue with smiles and camaraderie. In today’s world, a little honesty goes a long way, and honesty is the root of the Tyler Childers experience. Nobody is trying to fool anybody. Childers’ songs are poetic, honest assessments of life that connect emotionally with listeners. There’s no pomp in the performance. Just a hard-working artist delivering his truth to fans who know exactly what they’re looking for.
