Viva Lucinda, Viva Longhorn Ballroom!!!

The large sign on top isn’t there anymore, but that big ol’ fake cow still is!

Have you ever wondered about the clubs and honky-tonks that were once the stomping ground of your favorite legendary live-act?  Joints like Armadillo World Headquarters (Willie, Waylon & the boys) and  The Avalon Ballroom (Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead) are just a couple of the prominent ones that come to mind (the Avalon has reopened recently after a long period of dormancy).  One such place for me and my sense of curiosity is the Longhorn Ballroom.  Once a vibrant Dallas honky-tonk that hosted big names such as Loretta Lynn and Willie, even The Sex Pistols made an ill-fated attempt at playing here way back when (there is a video of the gig and a book about this visit to the US South). Even with such a storied and colorful past, this hardwood palace once owned by both Jack Ruby and Bob Wills, at different times of course, has gone unused as a live concert venue  for many many years (it has hosted many private and corporate functions since the late 80′s).  That became even more of a mystery to me after my visit there last night for the Lucinda Williams show.  After my brother and I downed a couple of brews and Fuel City Tacos in the parking lot, we made our way in through the western style doors and hallway leading into the main room.  The place was spacious, clean, and appropriately dimly-lit.  The sound was crystal clear (even though opener Fionn Regan had some issues, it seemed to be more related to his own equipment vs. the house sound).  I spoke shortly to concert promoter extraordinaire Mike Snyder, who is responsible for the resurrection of the ballroom, as well as the owner of Allgood Cafe and Sons of Herman Hall in Dallas, and he informed me of plans to bring many great acts to the venue before the end of the year. The lone item of the ballrooms logistics that I found to be unfortunate was the seating on the old dance floor, as opposed to standing general admission, directly in front of the stage.  I understand that it provides the venue and promoter more money in the form of the extra $10 that was charged for the close vantage point, but I couldn’t help but see the worn hard-wood floors and think of all the great waltzes and jitterbugs that took place on those planks when Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys would get those fiddles and stand-up bass’ buzzin’ with the Western Swing sound they helped create. 

Lucinda Williams took the stage and we were relieved early on to see that she was not only in a groove vocally, but that she was in a great mood!!  Williams, not unlike Ryan Adams (but not near as bad either), has a spotty history with live-shows and how her mental state that particular night allows her to interact, or not, with the audience.  She was quite chatty as she expressed fascination with the venue’s history and clear acoustics.  She dug deep into her songbook (literally, she had one sitting on a music stand near her mike-stand) and grabbed oldies dating back to her Happy Woman Blues and Lucinda Williams discs.  Her band displayed a deft touch with their use of California 70′s country-rock sounds on “People Talkin’” and “The Night’s Too Long.”  Her band also displayed considerable muscle as they beefed up tunes from the seminal disc, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - “Concrete and Barbed Wire,” “I Lost It,” and “Lake Charles.”  The songs retained their fragile and softer quality thanks to Williams high-lonesome, somewhat drunk sounding harmonies that were pitch-perfect.  It’s always a treat to see her live and almost equally as big a treat to witness guitarist Doug Pettibone’s prowess at not only guitar, but harmonica, pedal steel and mandolin on prime display.  Williams was a perfect choice (since Bob Wills isn’t swingin’ anymore) to bring this grand Dallas icon back to life.  Below is video from the show, note the heads sitting still at the bottom of the screen (what a shame).  Also note my so-so camera work.  I’m getting better, so be patient will ya???

Lucinda Willams - People Talkin’ (Live @ Longhorn Ballroom, Dallas 9/15)