Grant-Lee Phillips and Sara Watkins played a show at Largo at the Coronet on January 12, 2017. Grant-Lee has one of the best voices out there and it is always a privilege to hear him sing live. This was a full night of music, including a show in the Little Room after the musicians finished on the main stage. I’m not going to go into too much detail as I am reporting on this concert so belatedly, since I can’t seem to avoid every cold that’s passing through this winter.
The set list was:
- “Walking in the Green Corn” from Grant-Lee’s album Walking in the Green Corn, played by Grant-Lee and Sara
- “A Different Drum” — Grant-Lee introduced this cover of the song popularized by The Stone Poneys, though written by Michael “The Monkee” Nesmith, also commenting to Sara, “Look at you, you’re a straight-edge punk.” Sara was playing the ukulele, but it was having problems staying in tune. She commented, “We’re not in tune, Grant. It’s kind of Balinese. It’s like Christmas and you get ukuleles and they won’t stay in tune.” Grant left the stage at this point for Sara to play a mini set.
- “One Last Time” a song co-written with Jon Foreman, from Sara’s album Young in All the Wrong Ways, with Sara plucking her fiddle.
- “Like New Year’s Day” from Young in All the Wrong Ways. Sara introduced this one by reminiscing about camping trips and visiting the desert and the vulnerability one feels when out there.
- “The Truth Won’t Set Us Free” from Young in All the Wrong Ways, written in the UK while on tour there for the Transatlantic Sessions. This tune was inspired by Roddy Crowell, as Sara left the tour “wanting to hear country shuffles.” She played this on an Epiphone guitar.
- “You and Me” from Sun Midnight Sun. Before beginning this song Sara remarked, “I feel like it’s getting a little negative,” and that it was time for a course correction. “I’ll do a happy song.”
- “Say So” from Young in All the Wrong Ways. Sara said she had been, “Thinking about words and how important they are to inspire actions.” She was caught by the idea that saying something makes it true. Played on acoustic guitar.
- “Destination” from Nickel Creek’s album A Dotted Line, played on the ukulele.
- “Tenderhearted” from Young in All the Wrong Ways. She spoke of this song being inspired by an older friend, Nell Turner, and truly appreciating those that have gone through hard times, but remain resilient and bright.
- “Move Me” from Young in All the Wrong Ways. After this song Grant-Lee returned to the stage.
- “All This Time” from Sara’s self-titled album
- “Fools Gold” from Walking in the Green Corn, with Sara back on fiddle
- “Mona Lisa” from Grant-Lee’s album Virginia Creeper. Grant-Lee introduced this one saying it was “a song for the romantics.”
- “Lily-A-Passion” from Virginia Creeper. Grant-Lee then introduced special guest Ben Lee.
- “What’s Good is Good” from Ben Lee’s album Freedom, Love and the Recuperation of the Human Mind
- “The Enemy Within” from Freedom, Love and the Recuperation of the Human Mind. Before starting the song he remarked, “The true enemy is us/them.” Just two songs from Ben Lee and then Grant-Lee returned to the stage, teasing us with an Elvis impersonation and a little bit of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
- “Holy Irons” from Grant-Lee’s more recent album, The Narrows.
- “Smoke and Sparks” from The Narrows
- “Taking on Weight in Hot Springs” from The Narrows, inspired by an old picture on the wall from years ago, when “folks wanted to get off the grid” and they’d go to hot springs.
- “Mighty Joe Moon” from the Grant-Lee Buffalo album with the same title
- “Honey Don’t Think” from Mighty Joe Moon
- “Josephine of the Swamps” from Virginia Creeper, with special guest Lili Haydn on fiddle. Grant-Lee called this one a “moist, swampy song.”
- “Happiness” from Mighty Joe Moon, I’ve taken a line from this song for the title of this post.
- “It Ain’t the Same Old Cold War, Harry” from Grant-Lee’s album Little Moon
- “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes” cover of a Carter Family song.
There followed a Little Room set led by Sean Watkins with other musicians rotating on and off the stage.
- The first song was an unnamed fiddle tune played by Sara Watkins with Sean on guitar and Tristan Clarridge, who was on stage at the Watkins Family Hour show the previous night, joining in on the cello.
- “Suzie Lightning” cover of a Warren Zevon song
- “I Wonder if I Care As Much” cover of an Everly Brothers song sung by Sean and Dominique Arciero.
- “Why There’s a Tear in My Eye” a cover of a Carter Family song, Tom Brosseau joined the performers on stage
- “My Texas Girl” a cover of a Carter Family song
- “Bear Creek Blues” a cover of a Carter Family song
- “Hickory Wind” a cover of a song written by Gram Parsons and Bob Buchanan, performed by Grant-Lee
- “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” a cover of a Bob Dylan song, dedicated to Barack Obama
- “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” a cover of a Bob Dylan Song