ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 9, 2012
By Steve Newton
American songwriting legend Steve Earle played Coquitlam’s Red Robinson Show Theatre last night, and–as always–took no prisoners as far as his political beliefs are concerned.
One of the many highlights of the solo acoustic show was the performance of “Little Emperor”, a song off Earle’s latest album, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive, which lays the boots to George W. Bush for his complicity in the invasion of Iraq. “This one goes out to Dubya and his fucking horse,” announced Earle before the song, apparently referring to the horse Bush rode in on–and the same one he’s been riding off into the sunset on as the country’s most unpopular president of all time.
Earle also got his kicks in at capital punishment (via the gripping story-song “Billy Austin”) and the proliferation of guns (“The Devil’s Right Hand”). And he premiered a brand new anti-corporate song that includes the line: “Thinking about burning the Wal-Mart down”. It’s safe to say that his next album–which he’ll be recording soon with his band the Dukes (and Duchesses)–won’t be available at the big box outlet.
But it wasn’t all seriousness last night. Earle also offered some light moments, like when he dedicated a couple of love songs “to what’s-her-name from wherever-it-was”, or something along those lines. And he rocked the place with bare-bones versions of his moonshining hit, “Copperhead Road”, and the lively number that first put him on the charts back in ’86, “Guitar Town”.
After the show he came out to the lobby to patiently sign autographs and press the flesh with a long lineup of dedicated followers, proving–as always–that he’s about as real as it gets.