Fans of St. Louis’ Son Volt had two opportunities to catch the Jay Farrar-led band this weekend. SLM caught their show on the second night, when they played to a sold-out crowd of devoted fans at Delmar Hall.
Singer-songwriter and storyteller Anders Parker opened the night with a stripped-down, 35-minute acoustic guitar set. During “Black Flight,” he shared that the song was about his great uncle’s time as a World War I fighter pilot. He then introduced “The Man Who Fell From Earth.” “It’s a winding tale, a long car ride, an epic tale,” said Parker. “You might think it’s done, but it’s not.”
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Then came the return of Son Volt. Their 34-city 28 Years of Son Volt tour is celebrating the late Tex-Mex music figure Doug Sahm of Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornadoes by featuring several songs from their just-released album, Day of the Doug, including the jangly “Sometimes You’ve Got to Stop Chasing Rainbows.” They also performed the entirety of their 1995 critically acclaimed alt-country/Americana debut album, Trace, from top to bottom—plus a few favorites mixed in—before ending the night with Uncle Tupelo’s “Chickamauga.”
The packed crowd was not disappointed, with those we talked to agreeing that Son Volt’s 80-minute show was one for the books. Several fans gave a nod to the band’s newest addition, John Horton (formerly of the Bottle Rockets) on guitar, saying he has breathed new life into familiar favorites.
For more photos from the night visit https://bit.ly/SonVolt23cz.
