Instead of getting rained on at a Mardi Gras parade tonight, Mr. SIGIS and I went to see Jerry Jeff Walker at Sam's Town Casino, and we had a great time!I've got to say, JJW puts on a great show for a man approaching 70 years old!
On top of that, he was sick as a dog and still performed at the top of his game tonight. He told the audience when he came out that he'd been sick and hadn't left his bed in two weeks and you could tell it in his voice at times. But that's the thing about JJW that I love - the more gravel in his voice, the more I love it. He cracked a few times but it didn't bother anyone in the sold out crowd tonight.
His set list tonight included "L.A. Freeway", "Little Bird", "London Homesick Blues", "Navajo Rug", the "Trashy Women" song, the "Pickup Truck" song, "Mr. Bojangles", "Sangria Wine", and "Woman From Texas".
To be honest, what I really wanted to do was sweep all those lined up rows of chairs out of the way, push them to the walls, and let people dance and move. Listening to Jerry Jeff Walker with everyone sitting in rows like automatons is just weird to me. His music just cries out for you to be dancing, moving, interacting with him and his band, buying shots, and singing along. To the crowd's credit, eventually the robotic rows of observers got up and moved to the front, waving arms and beer bottles, cheering and talking to Mr. Walker. His appreciation was clear in his grin and he was encouraged to come back for an extended encore, performing three more songs.
Early into the show he accepted some Mardi Gras beads from fans which was fun.
I really wanted to hear him do "L.A. Freeway" and he did not disappoint, even getting up off his stool and jamming with the band toward the end of the song. It's a crowd favorite and I could barely contain myself in my chair! "Navajo Rug" is another favorite of ours and the crowd was waiting for that one too; there were lots of sing alongs with that one. "Aye, aye, aye, Katie...."!
What I did not hear that I wanted to? "Jaded Lover" and "Coat From the Cold." But heck, when you have as many great ones as Mr. Walker does, he can't get them all. The show ran about an hour and a half, counting the encore.
The crowd was appreciative and spanned the ages. I loved the folks that gathered at the edge of the stage and had I been closer, I would have been there too!
Great fun and oh so much better than getting rained on at the parade!
Here's "Navajo Rug" from YouTube; I love this song! I can just see Katie carrying that rug through the smoke, out the door!
