Lucinda Williams
The Englert Theater • Iowa City, Iowa • September 27, 2022
by Jeremy Glazier
The Englert Theater in Iowa City, Iowa, a true beacon of artistic expression for the past 110 years, continues its tradition of bringing poignant and important artists to grace its stage. Nothing exemplifies that more than the show I had the pleasure to experience, featuring the legendary Lucinda Williams and her band, Buick 6. As a lifetime fan of Ms. Williams, I couldn’t have been more excited with the music, stories, and inspiration that filled the historic venue.
The band opens the show with “Steal Your Love,” “Bleeding Fingers,” “Protection,” and “People Talking.” As I finish my photos and settle in to be a part of the experience, Ms. Williams begins to tell some anecdotes about Blaze Foley, for whom she wrote the next song, “Drunken Angel.” That song seems to be the kickoff point to storytelling that continues through the night and is a subtle reminder of the country music/Americana history that this tremendous singer-songwriter has created, guided, or borne witness to over the years.
Buick 6, which consists of Stuart Mathis on guitar, David Sutton on bass, Jonathan Norton on drums, and Doug Pettibone on guitar and keys, fantastically mold the pieces of each song as they play through “Lake Charles,” “Something About What Happens When We Talk,” and Fruits of My Labor.” Before the next song, “Big Black Train,” Williams explains that she wrote the song shortly after the passing of Tom Petty. She says it’s a metaphor for the blues/depression/melancholy and credits Bruce Springsteen’s writing as the “permission” she needed to write about those themes.
They roll through “Are You Down,” “Let’s Get the Band Back Together,” “Out of Touch,” “Stolen Moments,” and “Honey Bee,” leaving the stage briefly before returning for an encore. Williams and the band come back to dedicate “You Can’t Rule Me” to the Supreme Court before they perform the last song of the evening, “Joy.” As a special treat, she invites legendary Iowa singer-songwriter Bo Ramsey on stage to perform with the band and close out the night.
As they walk off stage, I’m reminded of a powerful quote from the most ridiculous of places. The Ed Helm character Andy Bernard in the show The Office once said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days, before you’ve actually left them.” A Lucinda Williams show will both make you nostalgic for the good old days, while also making you extremely grateful that you were able to experience that nostalgia, all in the same moment.
