Nice to see that KUT’s monopoly on the Cactus Cafe banning good touring acts isn’t absolute. I had to go to this show alone because I guess everyone thinks every song Del Amitri performs is sad or depressing. Please explain the appeal of the Smiths then?
I was pretty stoked since I don’t recall Justin visiting Austin in a couple decades. I’m probably wrong but I don’t count festivals and industry ass kissing. Oddly, Del Amitri passed through three times for Twisted, I managed to swing the first appearance at Austin Music Hall. The last pass I’m glad I missed, it was the Christmas party for 101X which today is the MTV of Austin. Yeah, that radio station sucks big time.
The show on September 30 was mostly Justin playing his acoustic guitar. He had an additional guitarist with him on a couple numbers and an electric piano for others. The set list mixed his latest third solo album with old Del Amitri faves (the YouTube session is the 1992 hit). Justin’s humor remains intact, namely when he broke a string, “I was hoping to have all these strings make it through the tour!” I guess he was playing on the stereotype of Scotts being tightwads.
Sadly he didn’t bother to stick around for autographs or meet his fan base. It’s alright, I would prefer to have more opportunities to see him live. Just next time, a more electric set. Many Del Amitri songs work better with electric guitars like “Song for Food, “Start with Me,” and “Cash and Prizes.”
Opening for Justin was Austin’s very own The Mastersons. They’ve been touring with Justin lately. As soon as they mentioned their involvement with Steve Earle, I had to buy their record. Well, they were pretty impressive and worthy of my money.