The pairing of Kasey Chambers and Steve Earle made for a perfect country evening at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. Chambers has always professed her love for Earle’s music and she did once again from the stage during her sweet opening set.
With only a brief time to serenade the crowd, Chambers delivered some old and new songs. Starting off with the slinky and cheeky ‘Pony’, the crowd was hers. The artist performed a beautiful rendition of her number one hit, ‘Not Pretty Enough’, and the new tracks included ‘Please God’ and another song that leaned more toward the rock and roll side of her collection. The country musician mentioned that she just recorded a new album in Byron Bay, so it won’t be long until a new collection is released for us all to hear.
Ashleigh Dallas, Chamber’s protégé who joined her on stage, is a rising star and a veteran of the country scene at the ripe old age of 20. She has pipes like her songbird friend and proved that she can play the fiddle throughout the set.
With Steve Earle watching from the wings, Chambers delivered the first song she wrote, ‘The Captain’. It is such a perfect piece of music that captures the nuances and charm of her singing, and one she always performs at each and every show. With that, she was off and ready to enjoy the headliner’s set like the fan she is.
Earle has not been to our shores with a band in some time, so the gathering was eager to hear how the songs would come across with some old and new cohorts. The title track from his latest release, The Low Highway, was followed by ‘21st Century Blues’ and ‘Calico County’ from the same record. Throughout the lengthy set of over 25 songs, the legendary artist played most of his new record.
Earle’s band, The Dukes (and Duchesses), were made up of longtime drumming buddy Will Rigby, Kelly Looney on bass, Chris Masterson looking like Elvis Costello on guitar, and Masterson’s wife Eleanor Whitmore on fiddle and vocals. Earle may not appear to have the same fire in his belly as he has had in the past, but the band were able to deliver the goods. It’s been a long highway of gigs, marriages, and politics for Mr. Earle, and time may have wearied him just a bit.
That being said, there is no taking away from his ability to play the mandolin, sing, and write some of the best Americana and protest songs around, giving it all he has each time you see him. The headliner’s duet with Whitmore on ‘I’m Still In Love With You’ was a beautiful slice of Nashville country.
‘Copperhead Road’, ‘Guitar Town’, and ‘Hillbilly Highway’ from his back catalogue were rolled out and well received. With each line-up of The Dukes, there are always different nuances to the songs performed.
With another failed marriage to his name, Earle announced that he was single again, and performed ‘I Thought You Should Know’. Your heart breaks for this man, who can only be labelled a hopeless romantic and optimist with seven marriages already notched in his belt. However, this headliner does not wallow in self-pity; he channels his trials and tribulations into his art, as he always has.
Earle may have been more vocal about politics and told more stories on stage in the past, but with a band in tow this time, he let the music speak for itself – and that was clearly fine by his Sydney fans.
