While other stops on her current tour are billed as a “Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets Show” featuring stories, songs, and visuals, Lucinda Williams’ stop at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday, October 7th, was more or less a straight-up Lucinda Williams show. There weren’t any visuals, and even the storytelling was minimal, but the fans who came out were ecstatic to spend a solid two hours in the presence of one of the most influential artists in the realm of alt-country and Americana music, along with her top-notch band.
At the age of 72 and with more than a few accomplishments and accolades under her belt, Lucinda Williams could easily do a greatest hits setlist every night and people would still love it. In Portland, Williams she continued to push boundaries and follow her muse instead of taking the easy way out. While she may have lost some of that playful youthfulness in her vocals and these days she doesn’t play the guitar after her 2020 stroke, Williams still knows how to snarl and she did just that when she kicked off the set with her take on Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It.” For the next two hours, Williams took the fans on a journey that traversed her life in music as she busted out old favorites, newer tunes, and an array of well-chosen covers. “Rock n Roll Heart” was an early highlight for its victory lap nostalgia that saw her bandmates singing the backup vocals handled by Bruce Springsteen on the recording. “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” was as potent as ever with its rich lyrical imagery, while “Stolen Moments” was a stirring, harmony-laden tribute to Tom Petty that shined with triumphant solos from guitarists Doug Pettibone and Marc Ford. Williams introduced a new song called “Rules Gone Wrong” off a forthcoming album as being about the challenges faced by the working class before launching into the sprawling and mournful lyrics and music.
Throughout the evening, she offered up her commentary on current events and shared her own affection towards the need to fight back and protest. Here in a war-ravaged Portland facing threatening maneuvers from the federal government, Williams’ rhetoric was met with overwhelming applause. Ever versatile, Williams switched from soulful and pretty tunes like “Lake Charles,” “Greenville,” the harmonia-laden “Fruits of My Labor,” and the slow burning ballad “Where the Song Will Find Me” with more of that vicious guitar interplay, only to drop into a cover of Bob Marley’s reggae classic “So Much Trouble In the World.” She followed it up with a potent rendition of Memphis Minnie’s “You Can’t Rule Me” dripping with searing blues guitar and those snarled vocals. Both tunes struck a nerve amidst the current social and political climate.
Before the night was over, Williams and her band packed in several more tunes, including highlights like “Out of Touch,” a rocking version of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and the down and dirty, hard-charging blues of “Honey Bee.” By the time she returned to the stage for her gospel tune “Faith & Grace” accompanied only by the percussive rumblings of Brady Blade, and a fiery, defiant cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Williams had managed to weave a cohesive narrative of hope and resistance through her entire performance. This proved to be the perfect recipe for the audience, who came as much to soak up the music and be in the presence of a legend as they did to seek positivity in the world. Williams was more than happy to provide all of that and more.
All photos by Greg Homolka
