photo: Laura Wehde
http://siouxcityjournal.com
By Bruce R. Miller
SIOUX CITY, IowaWillie Nelson got star billing, but Trigger, his well-worn guitar, stole the show Tuesday night at the Orpheum Theatre.
In song after song (and if you know Willie, there were plenty), the Martin guitar with the big hole in it created some amazing sounds – ones you’d expect out of B.B. King, not that master songwriter Willie.
Trigger even got a couple of solo turns and made songs like “For All the Girls I Loved Before” sound positively classical.
Like the Dylan of country, Nelson revised plenty of his hits and plowed through so many of them you’d think he had somewhere else to go.
The 79-year-old didn’t shortchange the audience (name a song he DIDN’T sing) but he did give standards like “On the Road Again” a twist or two.
His voice was just as pure as ever (even though recent health problems had audiences wondering how good it would be); his demeanor, equally reassuring.
Checking off three songs in less than five minutes, Nelson didn’t mess much with banter (except to name a few of the artists he calls friends) and give ever-so-brief background about “stick it to the man” songs he and Waylon Jennings penned.
His duet with Toby Keith – “Beer For My Horses” – was particularly different during Keith’s sections. It had a talk-sing quality to it that almost made it seem like a rap song.
He gave “Crazy” a new spin, too, (remember, he wrote that one for Patsy Cline) and had such enthusiasm with “Sioux City Sue” it’s a shame he didn’t get to partner with Gene Autry at some point in his career.
A mini-tribute to Hank Williams (another friend) brought out a rousing “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Jambalaya.” But Nelson didn’t stop to smell any of the roses.
Indeed, when the audience tried to give him several standing ovations, he smiled and kept on singing.
While “Georgia on My Mind” has morphed over the years, it still had the mournful sound we’ve come to identify with it – and him.
Dressed in black jeans, black T-shirt and hat, he added a series of bandanas midway through and tossed them out to crowd members, much like others would distribute guitar picks.
Trigger, though, must be a pretty jealous partner. Nary a pick went into the audience.
Instead, everyone got a healthy dose of Nelson, backed by a bass player, two percussionists and a harmonica player.
Songs like “Me and Paul” showed the rebel that boils inside; “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” let him embrace the love that has filled much of his umpteen-year career.
Nelson, however, isn’t like other artists. He doesn’t just play a heap of songs from his latest CD. He entertains like he’s sitting around the house, noodling on a guitar that probably has seen more good times than one instrument should.