Where were we with Lucinda Williams and the Barbican?
We last saw her in 2019. She was railing against Trump. Now her ire is directed toward the US Supreme Court, in the wake of the reversal of Roe vs Wade.
She’s released the slightly one dimensional Good Souls, Better Angels plus a series of jukebox cover albums, recorded during the course of the pandemic.
And she’s had a stroke. Not that it keeps a good woman down. There’s no guitar playing (a temporary thing apparently) but her voice is in fine shape. It can sometime waver around pitch. The expression is always there but she sounds great in 2023. She seems to be playing around with the phrasing of her songs, noticeably in the meter used in Fruits of My Labour. It feels like a Dylan thing, to guard against complacency, keep everyone on their toes.
Lu’s absence on guitar is covered by Doug Pettibone’s return to the band. He and Stuart Mathis lock together like Keith Richard and Ronnie Wood. It pushes the material toward the bluesier end of Lu’s repertoire. We get a Memphis Minnie cover. Pettibone gets to fire his fuzz tone all over Righteously.
There’s elements of Lu’s Jukebox evident too. The encore features a cover of Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World. Lou Reed’s Pale Blue Eyes is preceded by a gorgeous brief tribute to Jeff Beck, in the form of Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers with Pettibone on pedal steel.
I’d sum the evening up in one word – defiance. Whilst Lu needs some help and support post-stroke, she’s doing this on her terms. Her recovery is clearly an ongoing project which she is invested in – hell, this is a European tour and she’s front and centre for it. She makes a point of coming back to the centre of the stage at the end of the gig to thank everyone for their contribution. She’s patient and determined and one can’t help be impressed and inspired by her commitment and fortitude.
Her autobiography is yet to be released (it appears to be coming along in the spring). Published or not, there are still chapters to be written.
BlackCountryRock 