While walking to the parking garage post-show last night, I couldn’t help but hear what I consider to be an old Kasey Chambers song echoing in my ears, as we saw her perform “Freight Train” at a memorable concert in 2000, though in truth the original Fred Eaglesmith version (from his 1995 album, Drive-In Movie) is likely better known. In short, last night, Kelsey Waldon and the Muleskinners were akin to a diesel locomotive whistlin’ down the track and crashin’ through the door. Which is to say, one strong song followed the next, the momentum building and building. Her version of “three chords and the truth” aches, quakes and reverberates like few others’. She and her band were phenomenal.
The 95-minute show opened with “Ghost of Myself,” the leadoff track from her recent Every Ghost album, and—as the setlist below shows—also featured songs that spanned from her I’ve Got a Way album in 2016 to last year’s covers collection, There’s Always a Song to, of course, the new songs. Highlights, to return to the train metaphor, came fast and furious. “Ghost of Myself” was the perfect keynote; the song surveys the many phases and stages of her life—not with regret, per se, but begrudging acceptance—while the tunes that followed dug deeper into both the highs and lows. “False King,” from her No Regular Dog LP, picked up speed and, too, gave guitarist Junior Tutwiler a chance to shine. “Lost in My Idlin’,” which followed, delves into sobriety—and how, sometimes, she misses getting whiskey bent and hell bound.
The train again picked up speed on the White Noise/White Lines title track while, on the inclines, the tempo slowed a tad. It was rare, in other words, for myself and others not to be two-steppin’ in place. The set’s pace was such that transitions often mimicked those of film, crossfading between songs. One highlight came early: the memoir that is “Kentucky, 1988,” from her aforementioned White Noise album, which she preceded with a short soliloquy about her oddly named hometown, Monkey’s Eyebrow.
Another highlight featured Americana singer-songwriter Olivia Ellen Lloyd, who opened, joining Waldon and band for a rollicking “Hello Stranger.” When unleashed, as evidenced by my clip, Lloyd possesses pyrotechnic vocal power—not quite reaching the stratosphere of Kaitlin Butts, but close. After the song, and after my video cuts out, band and audience alike sang “Happy Birthday” to her—a sweet moment. Lloyd, by the way, won herself a new fan—aka me—with her disarming set. (If you’re reading this, Olivia, my answer to your question is 32 +/- 2.)
Did I mention the Muleskinners? There’s been some turnover since last I saw them at the end of 2022, but wow. They’re great. Tutwiler is a remarkable guitarist, while Cooper Dickerson—sporting Willie-like braids—was his equal on pedal steel. Bassist Erik Mendez seemed blissful the night through, and in lockstep with drummer Evan Mendez, who kept a steady beat. Blakeley Burger was a delight on fiddle, especially during the prelude to “Sweet Little Girl.” (I would’ve loved to have preserved it via video, if only for myself, but given my close proximity to the stage, didn’t want to annoy others.)
The Old Grey Cat 
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