This is a gorgeous venue.   The parking is convenient, the people that work there are nice and helpful, will call is easy and the area is beautiful with picnic tables, waterfalls and trees.  The stage and its surrounding area is a sight to behold.   Just coming here to check out the venue was worth the trip.    This place definitely has the right idea and is set up the way all great concert facilities should be.    

Not being very familiar with the music, it was more like a “musical field trip” to check out the theater and hope the band were good.   Luckily, the show ended up being great, which was nice since it was stack parking at lasted until 11PM.   Here’s the venue starting to fill up in the early evening:

   

Steve Earle came out and introduced The Mastersons.    He said he had driven by this venue many times and this was also his first visit.   He commented on how impressed he was with this beautiful theater.   He then stood off to the side of the stage and watched 1/2 of his backing band (Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson), who are a husband and wife duo, put on a great 30 minutes set of tunes with some great singing, guitar and violin.  It was a great show and they are definitely a band to check out.

  

At 8:50, Steve Earle and band came out and played 33 songs in just over 2 hours.  He said this is the best band he’s ever had.   I believe him.   His bass player (Kelly Looney) and drummer (Will Rigby) are phenomenal and “The Mastersons” round out his excellent band of multi-instrumentalists.   One of the more interesting parts of the set were how often they’d switch around and play the different instruments.   In addition to singing, Steve played the guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo, and organ.  Steve is a great songwriter and these songs are very powerful.  He sang about New Orleans and other real situations and important, meaningful stuff.   His story about his young son was very touching, too.  And he was incredibly funny between songs.  A real musician performing real, honest music with an excellent band in a great setting.  It was a great evening of country, bluegrass, Americana and whatever other styles they could be categorized as.    You can’t beat that on a school night… 

           

SET LIST:

The Low Highway
21st Century Blues
Calico County
Taneytown
Hard Core Troubadour
I Thought You Should Know
That All You Got?
Love’s Gonna Blow My Way
After Mardi Gras
Pocket Full of Rain
This City
Ben McCulloch
You’re Still Standin’ There
Invisible
Burnin’ It Down
Someday
Guitar Town
Copperhead Road
Ricky Scaggs Tonight ( sung by Will Rigby)
Free Men (sung by Kelley Looney)
Warren Hellman’sBanjo
Little Emperor
Billy & Bonnie
Mystery Train Part II
The Galway Girl
Down the Road Part II
Down the Road (original)
Encore:
I’m Still In Love With You
Remember Me
Rag Mama Rag
(The Band cover)
Encore 2:
Nothin’ but You
Continental Trailways Blues
The Revolution Starts Now