Donnelly: Lucinda Williams @ Liberty Hall, 11/7/2014

“Is there a particular song you’re waiting to hear?” I asked a superfan early on in Lucinda Williams’ set at Lawrence’s fantastic Liberty Hall.  “Like, one of her hits?  Or a fan favorite?”

“Uh, she doesn’t really do that,” came the reply.

Indeed.

There were no soaring highs nor plummeting lows at this packed show Friday night.  Just Williams’ crackly, lilting voice, a powerful instrument that demanded the crowds’ attention through a nice, long set and two encores.

This was a mostly seated show, with the floor of the venue lined with folding chairs.  Which was probably a good thing, because the audience skewed boomer pretty heavily, and there were more than a few flannel-lined dudes that needed a seat after staggering their way through the crowd with an armful of drinks.

Williams started the show with little more than a nod to the crowd, very little banter, and a music stand set up in front of her mic.  For an artist that has been doing this for so long, the cheat sheets were a bit off-putting.  Though to be fair she did recently release a new double album.

Lucinda Williams & Stuart Mathis

She started off with Something Wicked this Way Comes, a tune off her new album entitled, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone.  Her stripped down backing band – which was made up of just a drummer, bass player, and lead guitarist Stuart Mathis of The Wallflowers – were pros from the get-go, ebbing and flowing and allowing Williams the space and support she needed to let the audience drink in what they really came for – that voice.

But Mathis almost stole the show several times with his slinky and effortless lead lines, a blend of blues, rock, and country that demanded more than a couple ovations from the crowd.

As the audience settled in, so did Williams.  She mentioned how much she loved playing in Lawrence and let her voice fly, all the way to the rocking fuzz buster finale, Honey Bee.

Obviously, an encore was in the works.

Lucinda came back out by herself, and unleashed the highlight of the night – an acoustic version of Jimi Hendrix’s Angel.  She dedicated it to Rick Rosas, the longtime Neil Young bassist, who passed away recently.  Her version was super-slow, and for maybe the first time all night, even the talkers in the back of the room shut up.

Setlist:
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Pineola
Drunken Angel
Lost It
West Memphis
Compassion (Lu)
Everything Has Changed
Fruits of My Labor
Temporary Nature
Are You Down
Protection
Out of Touch
Foolishness
Unsuffer Me
Essence
Joy
Honey Bee

Encore
Angel (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Righteously
Get Right With God

Second Encore
Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young cover)