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 Joan Baez |
 Steve Earle |
 James McMurtry |
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Review and photos by Frances Sealy Lampedusa is a concert tour presenting a group of the country's most legendary and respected singer/songwriters in an intimate setting. There were eight concerts scheduled in the sophomore year of the series sponsored by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) benefiting the world's refugees. The performers changed depending on the different locations. The performers had a lot to say about their experiences and feelings about the refugee situation in the world, but above all the artists' bare-bones performances were some of the most heartfelt, gut-wrenching performances that I've ever seen. Steve Earle made sure that there was levity during the two hour show, too.After a group performance of Tom Petty's "Refugee," Patty Griffin set the tone for the evening when she said, "There are about 65 million people that have been displaced all over the globe in the last few years. That's more people than after WWII. It's that big of a job that we have to do. We need to make sure that people are treated fairly and compassionately. It's one of the biggest disasters over many of our lifetimes." Steve Earle, then introduced the first solo artist of the evening when he said, "When I arrive at the pearly gates and present my references, it will be one page. It will say that Steve Earle has had six songs recorded by Joan Baez." Baez sang, "There but For Fortune." Her voice may not hit the high notes of her youth, but it now has more rich texture and depth. When she finished her song, the applause was near deafening as she handed the baton to James McMurtry McMurtry reminded the crowd that he once lived in Tucson in the past. "I was enrolled at the University of Arizona. I majored in beer." He performed the first of his brilliant epic Americana songs, "Carlile's Haul." Griffin introduced her song "250,000 Miles" by saying, "Most refugees spend 17 years getting out of being a refugee. That is an entire young lifetime. One of the things that the JRS does is, it brings education to refugees. 250,000 miles is approximately the distance from the earth to the moon representing the distance that many refugees get displaced from their homes." Griffin introduced her special guest of the night, David Pulkingham. Pulkingham proved himself a master guitarist and percussionist throughout the show accompanying all of the artists. Baez's song for President "45" was the wittiest tune of the night. The title of the song was "Finally and Forever Obsolete" but it is the unofficial title. She remarked after she finished the song, "It makes me feel better every time I sing it." Earle was the most verbose, self-revealing and witty entertainers of the evening. He started when he said, "People leave unwillingly not because they want to. I come from Schirtz, Texas, spelled the same way it sounds. I grew up on Koch Street and I attended O. G. Winterstein Middle School in Schirtz, Texas. You may have guessed that this particular part of Texas is where the Germans descend. That is a fact since I used to get the shit beat out of me by square-headed cowboys by the name of Otto, Otto Bob or Otto Suzi. In order to make sense of this story, I thought the only way you could get from Texas to Tennessee was to hitch hike until I was 27-years old. When I went home for a wedding or funeral or Christmas, I hitch hiked up there. So I thought I had to hitch hike back. I was pretty good at it. One time I hitch hiked from Jackson, Tennessee to Jacksonville, Texas in one ride over seven hours. It was Christmas time and I was going home. Eighteen-wheelers didn't pick you up that much. It was Volkswagens that picked you up. One time I was going home. We were renters in those days. I was let off at the Schirtz exit. My parents had moved to San Antonio. At least this time, they told me. I came home one time and I hadn't called. Phone calls were a dime and I didn't have that. I knocked on the door and this stranger answered the door. A big square headed cowboy. No one in Schirtz, Texas remembered me except the police. In the Christmas spirit however, they gave me a place to stay. After extracting a small ransom from my father, I did make it home for Christmas Eve. I got this song out of the experience, but I don't think it was worth it." The song was "Hometown Blues." The Mastersons had one of the best songs of the night. They had arrived in Tucson a day early and indulged in the local food. They returned to their hotel room and wrote a song. They introduced the song by saying, "It's hard for people to evolve in this constant air of fear that is surrounding us." The song was "In the Name of God." Patty Griffin's song, "Standing," was the best gospel revival song of the evening that had the performers and the fans joining in and singing. There were many great moments during the show. This is the kind of tour that one could enjoy a different show at every stop and feel good about it along the way. |
| Set List: | |
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1. Refugee
(Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover) 2. There but For Fortune (with Joan Baez) 3. Carlile's Haul (with James McMurtry) 4. You Could be Wrong (with The Mastersons) 5. 250,000 Miles (Patty Griffin cover) (with Patty Griffin) 6. Dixieland (Steve Earle cover) (with Steve Earle) 7. Finally and Forever Obsolete (with Joan Baez) 8. Copper Canteen (James McMurtry cover) 9. Don't Tell Me To Smile (with The Mastersons) 10. Mary (with Patty Griffin) |
11. Hometown Blues
(with Steve Earle) 12. Deportee (Woody Guthrie cover) (with Joan Baez) 13. Redneck Island (with James McMurtry) 14. In the Name of God (with The Mastersons) 15. No Bad News (with Patty Griffin) 16. City of Immigrants (Steve Earle cover) (with Steve Earle) 17. Gracias a la vida (with Joan Baez) 18. Peter Pan (with James McMurtry) 19. Transient Lullaby (with The Mastersons) 20. Standing (Patty Griffin cover) (with Patty Griffin) 21. Pilgrim (Steve Earle and The Del McCoury Band cover) (with Steve Earle) |
 Steve Earle, Joan Baez & James McMurtry |
 Patty Griffin |
 Steve Earle |
 Joan Baez |
 Joan Baez |
 Joan Baez & James McMurtry |
 Patty Griffin |
 The Mastersons |
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