By Richard Skanse
(LSM Jan/Feb 2012/vol. 5 – Issue 1)
Guy Clark onstage at his 70th Birthday Tribute. (Photo by Machelle Dunlop)
“This is the first time I did a set list in about 30 years,” Guy Clark told the full house when he finally took the stage. “Everybody did all my songs!”
That was the legendary songwriter’s only complaint (delivered in jest, of course) at the “Wish I Was in Austin: A 70th Birthday Tribute Concert for Guy Clark,” held Nov. 2 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Clark was preceded onstage by a host of friends and disciples who came out to perform the songs they’d each recorded for the double-CD tribute album, This One’s for Him. All of the artists assembled onstage again in the middle of Clark’s own nine-song set, surprising him right after “Out in the Parking Lot” with a birthday cake and an all-star (audience included) serenade of “Happy Birthday.”
Terri Hendrix performing “The Dark” (Photo by Machelle Dunlop)
The lineup for the evening was a veritable who’s who of some of Americana’s finest songwriters — all backed by an A-list band of some of the genre’s hottest pickers (including This One’s for Him co-producer Shawn Camp, Lloyd Maines, and Clark’s longtime touring partner Verlon Thompson). As on the tribute album, Rodney Crowell kicked things off with “That Old Time Feeling.” He was followed by Lyle Lovett (“Anyhow I Love You”), Shawn Colvin (“All He Wants is You”), Camp (“Homeless”), Rosie Flores (“Baby Took a Limo to Memphis”), Kevin Welch (“Magdalene”), Ray Wylie Hubbard (“Homegrown Tomatoes”), John Townes Van Zandt II (“Let Him Roll”) and James McMurtry (“Cold Dog Soup.”)
Joe Ely performing “Dublin Blues” (Photo by Machelle Dunlop)
After a short intermission, Joe Ely opened the second set with “Dublin Blues,” followed by Thompson (“All Through Throwing Good Love After Bad”), Terri Hendrix (“The Dark”), Radney Foster (“L.A. Freeway”), Jack Ingram (“Stuff That Works”), Terry Allen (“Old Friends”), the Trishas (“She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”), and Jerry Jeff Walker (“My Favorite Picture of You”).
Everybody loves that Guy: (from left) Lyle Lovett, Jessie Scott of MusicFog.com, Terry Allen, Clark, Joe Ely, Rodney Crowell, Rosie Flores, Terri Hendrix, Shawn Camp, and Liz Foster and Kelley Mickwee of the Trishas (Photo by Lynne Margolis)
Hi Richard, is there a DVD of this great concert? I can find individual performances on YouTube, but I can’t seem to find a DVD of the concert to buy? I’m a long-time fan of Gram Parsons, Emmylou, Rodney Crowell and Guy Clark. Would love to get a copy of this concert! One of the best shows ever! Thanks
I wish there was. Tamara Saviano, who co-produced the tribute album and wrote Guy Clark’s biography (published last year), is working on a documentary about his life and I believe there will be footage from the 70th birthday show included in that, but there has been no DVD release of the whole show.
Do you kniw the name of the bass player on Guy’s 70th
Anniversary show? I believe he is Asian. My husband would like to know Thanks.
Hi Donna. The bass player was Glenn Fukunaga.
Who is playing the accordion on Old Friends and is between Terry and Verlon?