Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Goodbye Earle, Earle Goodbye



No, Steve Earle hasn't gone anywhere...but 'Goodbye' is one of the saddest yet most beautiful songs he's ever written. And most connoisseurs of Earle tend to hold up this duet with Emmylou Harris as the 'definitive' performance of the tune.



Sweet.

But I say that version has some competition now...a new performance of 'Goodbye' done in Montreal earlier this year, and captured on video in what has to go down as a classic concert moment. Apparently, there was a power outage during the show, but instead of just waiting it out or even leaving the stage, Earle grabbed a flashlight and moved up to the edge of the front row. There he performed several numbers, with no amplification and flashlight as spotlight, including 'Goodbye' which he concluded just as the lights came back on.

Witness it HERE.

Sweeter.

Why is it that sad songs like this can make me teary and bring me down yet lift me up and make me feel good all at the same time? Weird.

In other random music news, I'm loving the NPR (National Public Radio) website right now...there's audio concert after concert in their archives, including a solo acoustic Steve Earle performance recorded a couple of weeks ago at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island - find it HERE (3rd one down from the top).

And if you want some cool factor, listen to this My Morning Jacket show from a couple years ago, with my latest crush Kathleen Edwards in tow...HERE.

But if you want to be blown away, take a listen to this acoustic performance by Jim James from My Morning Jacket recorded back in June. The bands latest release continues to grow on me, and James' performance HERE is simply mesmerizing.


All courtesy NPR.

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