son volt and the melody of quiet

Son Volt played at Stubb's last night. Two concerts in three nights is a feat I haven't accomplished for awhile, but I couldn't have asked for a better confluence of favorites than to have Jay Farrar's new band follow up Thursday night's Wee Fighters show.

Jay Farrar is an earnest, talented musician that I revere. At his best, he is the poet laureate for the common man, finding beauty and glory in the places most people ignore on their way to somewhere else. But there are times when Jay fails to temper sincerity with joy or enthusiasm, and his musical demeanor settles like a fog of somnolent folk depression. His solo performance at the 2003 ACL Festival seemed to herald the impending rain; an unfortunate yet appropriate coincidence.

Thankfully there was obvious enjoyment coming from the stage on Friday night, albeit in a subdued Farrar-esque celebration of his remarkable catalogue. The set list favored the new album, which translated into strong live performances, while offering a great selection of Son Volt and solo tunes. An Uncle Tupelo tune is always welcome, and the band ripped up the closer in tremendous fashion.
It might not have been the nuclear explosion of Dave Grohl screaming "Monkey Wrench," but it amply demonstrated that renewed energy is coursing through the reconfigured Son Volt v2.0.

6 String Belief (Okemah)
Who (Okemah)
Bandages & Scars (Okemah)
Atmosphere (Okemah)
Gramophone (Okemah)
Back Into Your World (Straightaways)
Joe Citizen Blues (Okemah/iTunes)
Medicine Hat (Wide Swing Tremolo)
Ipecac (Okemah)
Damn Shame (Sebastopol)
Loose String (Trace)
Chaos Streams (Okemah)
Live Free (Trace)
Picking Up the Signal (Straightaways)
Jet Pilot (Okemah)
Endless War (Okemah)
Route (Trace)
Straightface (Wide Swing Tremolo)
Caryatid Easy (Straightaways)
Driving the View (Wide Swing Tremolo)
Medication (Okemah)
World Waits For You (Okemah)
Tear Stained Eye (Trace)
Windfall (Trace)
Drown (Trace)
Afterglow 61 (Okemah)
[ENCORE]
Armagideon Time (Cover-Clash/Willie Williams)
Chickamauga (Anodyne)

[Original list courtesy of JayFarrar.net]