Joe Ely

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We have tickets to see Joe Ely at Gruene Hall on Saturday night. We have seen him here before back in 2018 and wanted to catch him again. Gruene is an hour or so south off the IH35 just north of San Antonio. We had been to Gruene earlier on this trip for a sunny afternoon to see Bill Kirchen at the hall. Over the years we've been to Gruene many times.

Joe, for those who don't know him, is one of the founding members of the Flatlanders (they're "More a Legend than a Band") from Lubbock with Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Each has a solo career and are all important Texas artists in their own right. All three are folk we really want to see when we get a chance.

When we arrived early for a 9:00 show we could see there was a long line waiting to get in — that's not what we're looking for. We might have abandoned the show entirely while looking for parking but found something reasonable in that huge field that has been commandeered to meet the needs of folks like us. I wait at the end of the line and meet up with Kate who is resting at the curb near the front of the line. There are a lot of folk ahead of us and getting a good seat looks increasingly difficult.

Inside Gruene hall all the tables and benches have been removed. It's going to be a standing room only event — they've even removed the table and chairs from the bar area at the front of the hall. There remains an attached bench they can't easily remove around the outside of the dance floor (Ok, it's not a dance floor tonight, it's a standing room only floor) and a couple of pool tables to stage right. All the benches are filled and we plunk ourselves on the pool table grateful to have any place to sit. Already the area in front of the stage has filled with taller folk who will get a good view of the show.

The opening act is an emotive performer from Kerrville, whose act runs under the moniker "Possessed by Paul James". He's a 40-something teacher and apparently the name has something to do with his great grandfather. He's very expressive, wild, sweaty and plays several instruments. I find him interesting, Kate not so much. So we're outside in the patio area for some of the show having left our jackets on the pool table. In the patio area there's a new clean and sturdy outdoor washroom. The men's room behind the stage is something to avoid so this is a step forward.

When Joe Ely came on at 10:00 the house was packed. He started with Fingernails (I keep my fingernails long so they click when I play the piano) and by the time he gets to Butch Hancock's Bluebird (If you were a bluebird, you'd be a sad one) Kate returns from her nap in the car. It was a good show with a very tight band -- these guys have been playing together for years. Llloyd Maines (also from Lubbock, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks is his daughter) was there on steel guitar and received all sorts of cheers just for walking onto the stage and sitting down at his instrument. I recognize the bass and lead guitarists but can't tell you their names (see Postscript below).

This show is, apparently, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of "Live Shots" (a live album from the time when he toured England with the Clash) but it seemed to me to be the usual Joe Ely concert drawing on all his material over the years. I recall hearing Fingernail and Bluebird (as already noted), Honky Tonk Masquerade, Dallas from a DC9. Spanish is the Loving Tongue, Crazy Lemon, Honky Tonkin', I Had My Hopes Up High and more. Someone far in the back kept yelling out Cool Rockin' Loreta — not sure he ever did that.

The music they were playing before the show was a mix of punk and country. Sort of a tip of the hat to the music of 40 years ago.

The Joe Ely band was very good and Joe was at his best. The venue, however, was way over crowded — we tired and left early. If you're not young and able to stand for hours cheek to jowl with hundreds of others this would have been no fun. If you're not lucky enough to command some space in front of the stage you won't get to see much — especially if you're short! I really wish they'd charge twice as much and admit half as many people.

I loved seeing Joe Ely but have seen him in less stressed environments. I don't think I'll be coming back to see performers like Joe who command a big audience in Gruene Hall ever again. We're too old for these standing room only gigs.

A Postscript (on the occasion of Joe's birthday in February of 2023)

Cindy Light, on the Joe Ely Facebook page, posted a video of Fingernails from this concert and commented on this blog entry which I had shared. She writes that "it was especially packed that night. I’ve actually always enjoyed sitting outside when it gets to be too much. Anyway - the bass player was / is Jimmy Pettit! 😁And David Holt on guitar."