To see James McMurtry live is to witness one of the finest American songwriters at work. Lucky for us, the 63-year-old Texan troubadour is still a road dog, criss-crossing the country for much of the year while somehow still maintaining a fairly consistent and now legendary residency at the fabled Continental Club in Austin. If you’re a diehard fan, his consistent stops around the country feel like an annual tradition. In an interview with this writer many years ago, McMurtry humbly lamented that he only makes a new album when the crowds start thinning out. This tends to mean an album every 4-6 years, and his latest is The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, another masterful collection of thought-provoking Americana. For the fans, this means a chance to experience a reworked setlist that includes a handful of new tunes. On Wednesday, June 18th, McMurtry and his band rambled through Portland, Oregon for a sold-out show at the Aladdin Theater.
Based on the packed audience that all showed up early to catch BettySoo’s opening set, it was clear that McMurtry’s new album strategy is still effective. BettySoo rewarded the attentive audience with a set of original folk tunes, funny stories of life on the road, and a guest appearance from McMurtry and his drummer Daren Hess. They backed BettySoo as she covered his tune “Gulf Road” as well as Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)” to make for a warm opening set.
By the time McMurtry and his band hit the stage and opened with the rollicking older tune “Fuller Brush Man,” the fans were revved and ready. In his signature fedora hat and pleated shirt, McMurtry eased the band into a chugging version of “Childish Things” that saw Tim Holt accentuating the song’s confident power with a breezy guitar solo. Several new songs found their way into the set, starting with the title track from The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, which McMurtry described as being “about modern medicine” before launching into the swampy tune that loped along with thick rock potency. Holt switched over to the accordion for the reliable, lyrically vivid crowd-pleasing character studies of “Copper Canteen” before the down-and-out love tune “You Got To Me,” both of which proved McMurtry’s ability to keep the audience hanging on every lyric as if watching a movie. Of course, even a new setlist needs to include McMurtry’s best-known tune, “Choctaw Bingo,” which saw the band sprawling out with spiraling guitar riffs and huge drum fills from Hess to complement enough lyrical storytelling to fill an HBO show. Once the dust settled, McMurtry switched gears for a solo acoustic take on “Sons of the Second Sons,” a new, folksier tune that finds him smartly layering in a strong political message about the need to do away with selfishness in our current climate. The standing ovation proved that his new album may include more than a few keepers. Other new songs included the bright and upbeat “The Color of Night,” kicked off with Cornbread’s thick bass line that harkened back to McMurtry’s 90s material, “South Texas Lawman,” and the proper road song “Sailing Away” that chronicles his days opening for Jason Isbell.
Towards the end of the set, McMurtry leaned into some of his best-known songs. “Canola Fields” has earned its place among his very best, and in this case, it flourished with warm harmonies from Cornbread and BettySoo and some of McMurtry’s most delicate, beautiful guitar work of the night. “No More Buffalo” sounded strong and timeless as ever, the kind of tune that reminded the crowd how good it feels to be alive complete with Holt’s blissful, airy guitar and Hess’ rolling thunder drums helping segue straight into the easygoing country-blues of “Lost In the Back Yard” laced with an eloquently and nostalgic solo. The band rounded out their ninety-minute set on a high note with the rapped verses “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” over a boogieing swagger and the chorus about losing your glasses hitting a soft spot with the mostly older crowd, only to be followed by a version of “Too Long in the Wasteland” that saw Holt laying down a steady onslaught of bluesy solos over a driving storm of Texas rock and psyched out guitar bliss from McMurtry.
When it comes to his concert setlist, McMurtry is, perhaps infamously, resistant to crowd requests. Yet, when he took the stage with only his 12-string acoustic for one final song, he surely satiated many of the fans with an intimate, unmiked version of the beloved “Blackberry Winter.” This final serenade encapsulated McMurtry’s lyrical and instrumental range and put a bow on another incredible performance from one of our most treasured musical artists.
All photos by Greg Homolka
