Totally Worth Battling The Blizzard: Steve Earle At City Winery
By Carrie McGath in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 3, 2015 9:10PM
The fifth-largest blizzard in Chicago’s history did not stop true fans (and true Chicagoans) from attending Steve Earle’s show Sunday night at City Winery. Playing several sold-out shows through Feb. 4 with special guest Dawn Landes, Earle opened his set on a bluesy note, playing songs from his forthcoming album that will be released Feb. 17. That album, Terraplane, includes his band The Dukes, but he is jamming solo for these Chicago shows. The intimate setting of City Winery went perfectly with Earle and his opener as both their sets possessed an immediacy with the audience that was incredibly engaging and intensely entertaining from start to finish.
Earle’s colloquial banter with fans throughout his two-hour set was a mixture of humorous anecdotes, autobiographical narrative, and some discussion of political and environmental issues. “The Mountain,” from the album by the same title, talks about pipelines tearing through landscapes, showcasing his deep affinity with his home state of Texas and his opposition to the Keystone Pipeline. His classic “Galway Girl” from 2000’s Transcendental Blues riled the crowd, may of whom say along. Accepting an encore from the applauding crowd, he ended the set with the politically-charged “Christmas in Washington.”
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Landes was an excellent opening act, playing an acoustic set with songs that went from straightforward love songs to lyrically poetic tunes such as “Bluebird” from her new album by the same name. Also engaging and intimate with the crowd, her velveteen voice filled the room and warmed up the crowd beautifully.
Earle mentioned a spring tour with The Dukes and said there will be a stop in Chicago, and after seeing his performance at City Winery, it will undoubtedly be a show not to be missed. And at least in the spring, hopefully fans won’t have to battle a blizzard to get there.