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Steve Earle

Venue: The Sage
Town: Gateshead
Date: 23rd May
Website: http://www.steveearle.com

This was my third time to see Steve Earle and Hall 1 of The Sage was no less packed. Causing some fretting amongst the audience was the sheer number of guitars jammed onto the stage; it felt like Transatlantic Sessions!

Opening the show were part of Steve's band, The Dukes; indeed, he introduced them, which I thought a nice touch. The Mastersons are Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore and they demonstrated some great harmonies and fabulous musicianship as they took us through a selection of both new songs and songs are their album.

Bringing them back on stage with the rest of the Dukes (Additionally to the Mastersons, they are Will Rigby and Kelly Linney; my only gripe was no Allison Moorer this time around so we had no solo from her and no duet with Steve of Heaven Or Hell,) they launched straight into a brilliant version of the title song from the new CD, Low Highway. This was followed by an almost endless list of songs new and old highlights of which included Taney Town, Copperhead Road, My Old Friend the Blues, and Guitar Town amongst others. Of course, This City featured also, along with After Mardi Gras, it came about due to his work with the HBO series Treme. New Orleans clearly found a place in his heart as he spoke about the little known devastation still remaining post Katrina. I fell in love with New Orleans two years ago and for the duration of these songs I let him take me back there; in my head and heart at least.

Speaking of the themes of the new CD he explained that it came together partly as he wanted to make an album with his current , amazing, version of The Dukes, and partly as he realised, looking out of the bus windiow on the road one day, that he was seeing things as Woodie Guthrie saw them. "There are hard times out there." This then made what he said about Invisible make perfect sense. He described walking through his New York neighbourhood with a friend, Tim Robbins, who was raised there and pointing out a new soup kitchen in one of the churches. His friend was quick to point out that it had always been there; Steve was only noticing it as the line had got longer. As only Steve Earle can, he made the most exquisite observation; "We choose what we are going to see and we choose who we are going to see." No wonder then that Invisible came to be written.

Warren Hellman's Banjo had quite the introuduction as he told us about the man, an investment banker, who not only paid, and left endowment after he died, to pay for an annual, free, bluegrass festival with all the top names, but he also saw what was happening in the city and wrote a cheque to cover pensions for every street cleaner, teacher, you name it, in the city. Oh and he played banjo. Quite some man, it seems and the song seemed a fitting tribute.

The band were spectacular throughout; the drummer never overpowered, they all worked intuitively, it seemed to blend their varied instruments, Eleanor Whitmore seemed to work her way through about five instruments during the evening, but her finest hour was when playing the fiddle. Just stunning. My eyes kept drifting from Steve to her, rapt as she created the most beautiful sound imaginable.

Steve, it seems, has learned to play piano, a little. He explained that living in Mexico, he convinced himself he could speak Spanish, which rather p***ed off the Mexicans. Spending so much time Nola, he figured he should be able to play the piano. This was only the fifteenth time he had played in front of people and he did well, as he played for Pocketful of Rain.

Drawing to a close well over two hours of fantastic music, a very rare 2 encores produced a definite highlight. Telling us that his and Allison Moorer's son John Henry, who has just turned three, was diagnosed with autism, he very eloquently put forward his views that the trigger is something environmental, it's an epidemic and something needs to be done. Working with EBD children myself, I have to agree and I hope Steve will continue to be an advocate for those with autism as he has a chance on stage for his voice to be heard. He then moved the whole audience almost to tears as he sang Remember Me, which he dedicated to his son.

After a fantastic night of music, Steve had one of the longest meet and greet lines I've seen, but he had a big smile, hug, autographs and a photo pose for all who cared to say hello. What a star. My only hopes for next time? Allison Moorer, return of the Townes Van Zandt stories and Christmas in Washington. What do you say Mr Earle?!

Helen Mitchell