I've long been a believer that you should never go to a concert and only expect to hear the hits and songs you've loved as a long-time fan. I understand when an artist is excited for their new work and want to focus energy on their latest creations. Luckily if you're a fan of Bill Callahan, the man has never stopped making hits and hearing his latest work is almost always nearly as exciting as hearing anything from his illustrious past. Callahan released My Days at 58, his tenth album under his own name since he abandoned the pseudonym Smog, a moniker under which he released fourteen records prior to sticking by his real name, back in February and while the LP didn't hit me with the same velocity as his prior music, watching him play them for such an adoring crowd breathed new life and enhanced the tunes with stunning virtue that hit in new and enlightening ways. Kicking it off with the new album's opening track "Why Do Men Sing," he was instantly joined by his backing band of drums, electric guitar, and some woodwinds that gave each song wondrous texture and made you feel each number in your bones. Listening to Bill Callahan doesn't require close attention because you're drawn in by the infectious melodies, however listening with intent reveals his remarkable lyricism and being able to experience it live, undistracted, makes it all come into crystal clear vision. When he sings "and now my biggest fear is not the dying, my biggest fear is that I'll stop trying" from ""The Man I'm Supposed to Be," it hits in a way that makes your knees tremble. It also was accentuated by a spontaneous spoken word entry from the triumphant Jim White on drums. These kinds of lines pop up throughout his catalogue and getting to hear such a healthy heaping of new songs made them shine with distinction in ways that his older numbers now can just feel like gospel; words I've lived with and repeated time and time again, the sparkle never leaves, but the wisdom sits with you and just feels like part of your being. Just before the half-way mark, however, Callahan reached back to his Smog days and gifted us with a jaunty "Dress Sexy at My Funeral," a number that had the room enraptured, glowing with ambition and pure elation. Immediately following it with "Drover" nearly brought us all to our knees as the raw and ragged rendition of the song felt grizzled, yet still pristine, another hallmark of Callahan's undeniable songwriting skills. As he's gotten older, he's become more open in his songwriting, now describing a more domesticated life, one filled with his kids and his love for being a family man. His descriptive passion is a new, yet just as incredible, aspect of his storytelling skills. There's no question in my mind that Callahan ranks as one of the best living songwriters of the past three decades, his imperial phase in both Smog and his renaissance run from 2009-2013 stands as not only the best of the past thirty years, but in the cannon of American songwriting as well. This was reaffirmed when he closed out with "Let's Move to the Country," a simple yet gorgeous song that once again had the room reaching new levels of adornment for an already beloved and gifted talent. When he came back to slowly crush us with a moving "Let Me See the Colts," the night hit the climax. Lights dazzled from behind him and the band swelled for one final burst of mesmerizing showmanship. A spellbinding night of countless words that speak wonders, both old and new, and another undeniable reminder of just how lucky we are to be living in a time when Bill Callahan is making music.
Set list:
01 "Why Do Men Sing"
02 "The Man I’m Supposed to Be"
03 "Lonely City"
04 "Partition"
05 "Lake Winnebago"
06 "Dress Sexy at My Funeral"
07 "Drover"
08 "Computer"
09 "Highway Born"
10 "Empathy"
11 "River Guard"
12 "And Dream Land"
13 "Coyotes"
14 "Stepping Out for Air"
15 "Pathol O.G."
16 "Let's Move to the Country"
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17 "Let Me See the Colts"
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