Lucinda Williams
at FleetBoston Pavilion 7/19/02

Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine

About an hour before show time, the heavens opened on Boston, drenching concert goers who were seeking sanctuary beneath the giant tarp at the Pavilion. Wet shoes and damp clothing were quickly forgotten, though, when Lucinda Williams, one of the finest country rockers in the field, came on to perform for us. Williams led her four piece band through charged versions of gems like “Drunken Angel” and “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road,” before taking a moment to thank the
crowd, and then launching into the new, Neil Young flavored “Out Of Touch.” Williams, wearing a see-through black mesh shirt, decorated with colored flower petals, and dark jeans, smiled at her band mates between lyrics, evidently having a good time onstage.

After the first few songs, Williams--who has a Dylan-like reputation for rarely bantering with her audiences between numbers--became unusually chatty. Seeming quite relaxed, Williams thanked the crowd for the warm reception, and then
remarked that she had actually accumulated enough new material for a new album, and that she would be playing some of those throughout the night. After playing “2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten” from the “Car Wheels...” album, Williams rolled out the
first of these news songs, a lovely ballad in the Keith Richards model called “Those Three Days” (the chorus of which asked, “Did you only love me for those three days?”). After a strong vocal performance on “I Lost It,” Williams played
another new song, “Sweet Side,” a mid-tempo talking shuffle about the private secrets a couple shares. “I Am Waiting,” another new song, featured chunky rhythm chords and some more vocal dynamics from Williams. The Pavilion, with it’s high, sloping ceiling, provided the perfect acoustics for Williams’ voice to echo and float over the music. “Joy,” a clunky rocker from “Car Wheels...” was given an extended workout, with the musicians playing off their own echo, and it was followed by the stinging “American Dream,” a new song with lyrics that read in part, “My American dream almost came true/ But the things they promised never came through.” Williams introduced the band, thanked the crowd profusely, and closed the set with “Get Right With God,” a rousing gospel-rock tune from the “Essence” album that was anchored by a thumping bass and some slide guitar licks. The crowd was swept to its feet, providing a standing ovation while the band waved goodbye and shuffled off the stage.

For an encore, Williams came out alone with an acoustic guitar for “Passionate Kisses,” before bringing the band back for the gorgeous new “Over Time,” a soft acoustic ballad about lost love and the healing powers of time. Williams finished up the set with a second encore, dedicating one song to the Who’s John Entwistle, and ending with an old Howlin’ Wolf song. Williams, who is notoriously slow in recording new albums, said that several of the new numbers may appear on the next record. Whether we will have to wait another six years or so before it appears or not, this was certainly one tantalizing preview.

-Neal Alpert