Opening up the evening with "Stoplight Roses"
A huge piece of music history visited Austin this week (May 8, 2012), well, Nick has graced us many times, I just finally got off my ass to see him after numerous missed opportunities. Nick Lowe is another musician/singer/producer I’ve followed since I was a little boy and the mere mention of his name is a litmus test. Either you receive a puzzled look or you see the other person’s eyes light up. When you explain the man’s past involvement in the bigger picture, then the former understand, thinking, “Oh, he’s a musician’s musician or a critic fave.” The comment could be seen as dismissive but Nick Lowe has contributed to the success of these acts: The Damned, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Squeeze; to scratch the surface. He was also married to Carlene Carter for some years, making him Johnny Cash’s step-son-in-law and/or June Carter’s son-in-law.
Music 101 lesson is over, you can read up about his long career in greater detail through allmusic.com or listen to recent podcasts he’s shown up on (Sound Opinions and Marc Maron’s WTF).
Nick hit the stage by himself first and did a couple songs. I only remembered “Stoplight Roses” which is on his current album The Old Magic. Then the band joined in for a mix of the new tracks and old favorites. Nick took a couple breaks to demonstrate that infamous wit I’ve heard many times in interviews, it’s also throughout his lyrics, listen intently to “Has She Got a Friend” and “Checkout Time. At 63, he’s still sharp. The key hits most people recognize were performed: “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)” and “Cruel to be Kind.” His most famous song, thanks to Elvis Costello making it a hit, “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” was saved for the end. Nick’s final encore will be permanently burned into my memory, just him and his guitar singing Costello’s “Alison.”
Seeing Nick Lowe brought some minor closure in life too. Twenty years ago, he was a member of Little Village, a supergroup of sorts, with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner. To promote their one-shot album, the quartet toured and Austin’s SXSW was a major stop. I had never heard of the annual showcase until then yet I was curious about everything as I tuned in for some snooty Chicago music critic’s take on WXRT. In short, the guy calling the radio station said Little Village didn’t live up to their hype. Maybe he would’ve changed his mind if he attended the Chicago appearance a pair of peripheral friends got to attend.
I can’t recommend seeing Nick Lowe in concert though. Austin was near the end of the tour which started around January. Should he kick off another leg in the near future, then go before he retires.