Axl's Catch Groove

Although I am not much of a Genesis or Phil Collins fan, “In the Air Tonight” is one of my favorite songs. Although I have owned the Face Value LP since the early 80s, I have never explored the rest of the album. Bob Lefsetz recently wrote about the album, and his enthusiasm motivated me to give it a serious listen.

This is an amazing album, and I can’t believe I haven’t fully enjoyed it. In hindsight, it is an important record that rivals other great albums of the 80s.

The album was written during the breakup of his marriage and a Genesis hiatus. Genesis had already started to pivot from prog to pop with 1980’s Duke, but on Face Value, Collins went full-on pop. The album marked the start of ten years (the 80s) when you couldn’t get through a day without hearing Collins’ voice, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. He was a peer of other 80s icons like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen.

The album opens with “In the Air Tonight,” which has one of the most famous drum parts in pop/rock music. The drum sound is called gated reverb. Hugh Padgham, a legendary English record producer and recording engineer, invented the sound by compressing an ambient drum mic to an extreme degree and using a noise gate to abruptly cut off the reverb tail. It first appeared on Peter Gabriel’s 1980 self-titled album (often called Melt), where Collins played drums. “In the Air Tonight” brought the sound to the masses. Lyrically, “In the Air Tonight” explores anger, betrayal, heartbreak, and emotional isolation. The vocal performance and music perfectly match the darkness of the lyrics. It is an atmospheric, moody masterpiece.

“This Must Be Love” is a ballad about new love. It has a prominent jazzy bass courtesy of Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report). A sweet contrast to “In the Air Tonight“

Collins covers himself by reimagining the prog opening track from Genesis’ Duke, “Behind the Lines,” as funk. It is a brilliant repurposing. It features The Phenix horns (Earth, Wind & Fire’s horn section) and Alphonso Johnson’s funky side.

“The Roof Is Leaking” changes the mood with Collins’ take on acoustic blues. Lyrically, a farm family struggling in a dilapidated house mirrors Collins’ failing marriage.

“Droned” is an atmospheric transitional instrumental to the upbeat instrumental “Hand in Hand” featuring a children’s choir and Phenix horns to close side one.

Side two opens with Phenix horns-driven R&B “I Missed Again” – A punchy, horn-driven R&B track. This was a top 20 hit for Collins. Collins is poking fun at messing up his marriage.

“You Know What I Mean” is a sparse, heartbreaking piano ballad that avoids being schmaltzy.

“Thunder and Lightning” is an upbeat R&B number with the Phenix horns. Lyrically, it captures the excitement of a relationship and contrasts it with when that same relationship falls apart.

“I’m Not Moving” is an atmospheric, synth-driven number with highly processed vocals.

“If Leaving Me Is Easy” – A gorgeous but heartbreaking ballad with a light jazz vibe, featuring prominent sax and bass. It expresses the exhausted acceptance that a relationship is over.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” is an experimental, heavily tape-looped cover of the Beatles classic (which was pretty experimental in its own right).

This is an impressive debut and set the table for Collins 80s superstardom. Collins took a low point in his life and transcended it with an amazing piece of art. I am embarrassed that I did not dive into this album properly 45 years ago.

The 2016 24-bit/96 kHz remaster on Tidal sounds fantastic, as does my original vinyl.

Elektra/Musician was a short-lived jazz label in the early 1980s, led by Bruce Lundvall (previously at Columbia; he later revived Blue Note). I have about a third of their catalog.

Steps Ahead was an acoustic-electric jazz-fusion supergroup co-founded by vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and legendary tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker.

Another find from the “new used” bin at Dusty Groove. It was graded Very Good+, but is closer to Near Mint and is fairly priced at $5.99 (the median sales price on Discogs is $6.68).

This is one of their most controversial albums given its extensive use of synths. I am a big fan of Michael Brecker, and his tenor is a brilliant foil to the synth textures. The instrumental album is deceptively light jazz, but Brecker’s sax and Mainieri’s vibes soar throughout. It has a strong 80s pop vibe (the jazzier side of Prince or Phil Collins), but I dig that rather than find it dated. This isn’t challenging jazz (think the lighter side of Weather Report), nor is it smooth jazz. Enjoy it for what it is: tastefully arty musical wallpaper.

Streaming platforms feature the Warner Music/Rhino remastered master, derived from the 2005 24-bit digital archives (presented in CD quality).

I was in Chicago, stopped by Dusty Groove, and found this album in the “new used” crate. With tenor saxophonist Houston Person, the provocative cover art (by Hal Wilson), the Muse label, the sidemen, and the reasonable price ($8.99-$9.36 is the median price on Discogs), I snatched it up. Based on the album art, the era (1977), the players, and the label, I assumed it would be soul jazz (it is). Turns out it is a well-regarded album and was never reissued digitally (on CD or streaming), so it is a nice find. It is in very good condition as advertised (plays without skipping, but features noticeable cosmetic wear and audible surface noise).

I really like the album as it is smooth without being smooth jazz. Houston Person always has a great tone, and it really shines on this album, backed by a soulful rhythm section: organist Sonny Phillips, drummer Idris Muhammad, and guitarist Jimmy Ponder. Person is underrated in the jazz world, but I’ve liked everything I have ever listened to. He has a unique ability to be a legitimate jazz cat while still being approachable and easy to listen to, without being easy listening.

Per the liner notes (Russ Chase, Record Review Editor, IAJRC JOURNAL):

Whether you hear Houston Person in person or via recordings, the first reaction is to marvel at the glorious floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall sound that he generates, apparently effortlessly. It is one of the more awesome that you are likely to ever hear, filled with the explosive power and, to use an old but appropriately descriptive phrase, the bursting-at-the-seams emotion that evokes the jazz sound. Once you have assimilated his tone, you’ll be boggled by the prodigious technique.

Players:

Houston Person – Tenor Saxophone  

 Bill Hardman – Trumpet  

 Sonny Phillips – Organ  

 Jimmy Ponder – Guitar  

 Idris Muhammad – Drums  

 Larry Killian – Congas, Percussion  

Produced by Houston Person and recorded September 12, 1977, at Van Gelder Studio (engineered by Rudy Van Gelder).

Tracklist:

Side A

1. “Preachin’ and Teachin‘” (Sonny Phillips) — 7:40

2. “Dameron” (Tadd Dameron) — 7:30

Side B

1. “Wildflower” (Doug Edwards & Dave Richardson) — 6:50

2. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Fats Waller, Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf) — 6:00

3. “My Romance” (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) — 5:30

Not available on streaming services.

In the 70s, you often found a “loudness button” on integrated amps, receivers, and preamps (like the one on my entry-to-the-hi-fi-world receiver above).  I always thought the term “loudness” was odd because the loudness button was meant to enhance the equipment’s sound at lower volumes.  Back then, I didn’t know the purpose of the loudness button; I could tell it made things sound better at low volume, so I was using the feature correctly by accident.

I’ve been thinking about loudness recently, since the Schiit Mimir DAC I bought included a digital tone-control plug-in (Forkbeard) with a loudness feature.  Now that I am a more experienced audiophile, I understand the purpose of loudness, and it is a really important feature to me, as I like to listen to music at low volumes.  The loudness feature on my Schiit Mimir is wonderful; it makes my stereo sound much fuller at the lower volumes I enjoy.  The fact that it is adjustable is even better; I usually set it to 50%, since 100% is way too much bass for my ears. 

But I really had no idea why loudness is pleasing.  I assume it was just a random equalizer curve designed to enhance the bass.  Out of the blue, Arizona Audio Visual Club member David Snyder texted me about a project to add a loudness feature to his DIY digital streaming solution. David provided me with a link to the project (here is an additional link to the companion web app David published). The documentation included a technical explanation of loudness.  He also included a video by the successful (nearly half a million subscribers) audiophile YouTuber Randy Parker (whose YouTube channel is cheapaudioman) on the subject.  David also has an article on the subject in a reputable audio magazine.

Loudness isn’t random; it’s intentional and backed by science.  I won’t duplicate what David’s documentation and the YouTube video say. Still, the short explanation is that loudness is designed to counteract the human ear’s natural loss of sensitivity to low and high frequencies at lower volumes (based on the Fletcher-Munson/ISO 226 curves – see image below).  Mastering engineers generally use a reference level of 83-85 dB when assessing tonal balance and EQ in the studio. To hear what they intended, we must either use the same reference level for playback (which is loud) or compensate for how human hearing perceives sound at low volume. If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend watching the video and reading David’s document.  

Greta Van Fleet (GVF) is a maligned band. Their main crime is sounding like Led Zeppelin. I don’t mind that, since Zeppelin crashed nearly 50 years ago. GVF isn’t a tribute band; they play original material. Although Zeppelin is a primary influence, they have a lot of classic rock in their DNA: Rush, Deep Purple, The Black Crowes, Yes, early Heart, etc. I have a theory that nothing new has happened in music since I graduated from high school in 1977. I am not saying there isn’t good-to-great new music; there is, but it’s all derivative. Granted, GVP wears its influences on its sleeve. They are not as original as Geese or Goose. GVF music is fun and well performed. They have evolved: there’s more folk-rock and prog now, but there is still plenty of blues-rock swagger.

Josh Kiszka’s vocals are an impressive high rock tenor with an aggressive, biting falsetto (that can be pretty too), rivaling his primary influence, Robert Plant, in his prime. Brother Jake Kiszka is a highly skilled classic-rock guitarist with great riffs and solos. He lacks originality (he channels Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, and Eric Clapton), but he makes up for it with technical competence.

So if you take GVF for what they are, not cynical but devoted Zeppelin enthusiasts saving a dying breed (only the octogenarian Stones can still rock like they are in their 20s), then you can enjoy them.

Lyrically, I have no clue what they are singing about, and I couldn’t care less. I am here for the sonics.

Palace for the People is more of the same. But from some bands, that is exactly what you want, for example, AC/DC. I am just fine with more of the same from GVF. On their first couple of albums, they innocently produced something that sounded like lost Zeppelin songs; now they sound like themselves.

After some success (their first two albums), they slicked it up for their third with A-list producer Greg Kurstin. They returned to basics with Americana genius Dave Cobb on their latest album. On Palace for the People, the band produced themselves with help from Mike Elizondo (Turnstile, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Fiona Apple, and Twenty One Pilots). To me, it is their best-sounding album: retro and contemporary at the same time. The band is fully and unapologetically embracing their schtick.

I recently bought a ticket for their show next spring in Phoenix. From what I have read, they fully embrace a 70s classic rock aesthetic live, with jamming, elaborate stage costumes, vintage gear, and psychedelic lighting and lasers. I love that they double down on the 70s. I can’t wait to see the spectacle.

Track list:

1. Into the Beginning  

2. Tear It Down  

3. Heart and the Beat  

4. Boughten Bliss  

5. Field of Stars  

6. Play Your Games  

7. Dreams You Hold  

8. Lost in the Golden  

9. Touch Again  

10. Saw You Stand  

11. Heya  

12. Call My Own  

13. Born into This  

Metallica is on my mind because their current residency at the Sphere in Vegas has flooded my social media. I have serious FOMO about the residency, so I am revisiting the front end of the Metallica catalog (the first five studio albums). I am listening to the remasters on Tidal (24-bit/96 kHz FLAC), which are sonically fantastic.

I first heard the band as an undercard (afternoon set) at the Monsters of Rock tour at the Minneapolis Metrodome in 1988. That tour included headliner Van Halen (Sammy Hagar version), Scorpions, Dokken (who I don’t remember seeing that day), Metallica (just ahead of the release of …And Justice for All), and Kingdom Come (a one-hit-wonder Zeppelin knockoff).

Metallica blew my mind at that show. I had heard of them, but I had never heard them. They weren’t on the radio, yet they were a buzz band playing 2000- to 6,000-capacity rooms. Clad in black, they leaned into their wind machines like they were playing against a straight-line wind. Their fans, in their black Metallica T-shirts, were the first true headbangers I had witnessed. They helped make Metallica’s set the most memorable of the day. And the music? All I remember is that it was loud. How loud? The hairs on my legs were moving in rhythm to the beat, and my chest felt like I was getting CPR.

Although I found their music harsh that day, I was intrigued. The first Metallica album I bought was …And Justice for All when it came out that fall (1988). I loved that album. It was not my typical music, but I liked it: punk intensity, heavy metal vibes, musicality, a dash of prog, and serious lyrics (despair, systemic injustice, and the trauma of childhood). It was impressive.

I consider myself a minor Metallica fan. I have most of their catalog (on CD and vinyl). I saw them twice, the aforementioned Monsters tour and at the apex of their The Black Album era. Yet I don’t have a Metallica T-shirt in my wardrobe (dominated by band and brewery T-shirts), and they might not even be in my top 100 music artists (if I had such a list).

Music critic Steven Hyden has a special artistic honor: The Five-Albums Test. He suggests that true musical greatness isn’t just about having a couple of great records, but managing a streak of five consecutive great studio albums. Few achieve this. Revisiting the first five albums, I now realize Metallica succeeded at the five-album test:

As I revisit their catalog, I am surprised by how accessible it all sounds now. When I first heard it, it seemed so heavy and harsh. I have changed, but Metallica has also normalized thrash through their massive popularity. They have bent music culture toward them. You could argue they dumbed down their sound and sold out with The Black Album, but I see it as a maturation of their sound and an apex they would never repeat.

The next album I picked up was a vinyl version of their 1983 debut, Kill ‘Em All (it was cut out), which didn’t hook me at the time. It subsequently has. Looking back at it now, it is an amazing debut; however, it seems infantile compared to what followed. They had the seed of Metallica, but they had not yet fully found their sound. At the time, it wasn’t enough to get me to backtrack through their catalog.

And then came their commercial breakthrough: The Black Album (1991). That hit me hard. The band slowed things down, added some sugar to it, and made a pop metal masterpiece – including the ubiquitous, radio-friendly hit song: “Enter Sandman.”

My work situation sucked, and I remember spinning a CD of The Black Album at top volume on the way to work. It was cathartic. Nirvana’s Nevermind was part of the soundtrack too. 1991 was a good rock year (specifically that fall):

• Pearl Jam – Ten
• Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
• R.E.M. – Out of Time 
• Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I & II
• Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears 

All those albums were great. My kids were young, and I listened to a lot of music when hanging out with them.

But after The Black Album, none of their subsequent releases hit me. But the back catalog of Ride the Lightning (1984) and Master of Puppets (1986) provided plenty to explore. The Black Album is the band’s apex, and everything before is excellent (each subsequent album built on the prior). But after The Black Album, not so much.

Master of Puppets was my next album, and though it’s considered one of the greatest metal albums of all time, it didn’t hook me in the early 90s. Now seems so accessible, and I have learned to love it.

Ride the Lightning… was my final installment of the band: Metallica becomes Metallica. This was the hardest of the five for me to get into (pure thrash is not my thing), but now I fully appreciate it. It is a huge step forward from Kill ‘Em All.

Metallica slipped out of my listening rotation for decades (with an occasional return to The Black Album), but now they are back. They sound better than I remember, and the first five are a remarkable run.

I am a long-time fan of George Clinton and his various bands (collectively known as P-Funk). One of the greatest live music experiences of my life was witnessing the P-Funk All-Stars at The Cabooze (Minneapolis) in the early 90s. I was even part of a conga line led by Bootsy Collins that night. I recently discovered there is a pretty good-quality soundboard recording of that show on YouTube:

Funkadelic was Clinton’s amalgamation of funk and psychedelic rock – thus a perfectly named band.

I knew there was a new reissue of the classic Funkadelic album Maggot Brain, but I didn’t realize there was an audiophile component: a two-LP 45 RPM edition and a SACD edition. The folks and ORG Music have taken deliberate care in making this the best possible recording. Per the reissue label, ORG Music:

For this definitive 2026 reissue, the album was mastered directly from analog tape, preserving the raw power, depth, and atmosphere of the original recordings with extraordinary detail. A longtime holy grail for collectors, Maggot Brain receives the treatment it has long deserved.

I just ordered the SACD, as I am a fan of DSD and appreciate the analog-sourced warmth it provides without dealing with the surface noise or physical flipping of the 2×45 RPM vinyl variant. Again, per ORG Music:

Hybrid Stereo SACD mastered by Dave Gardner, captured directly from the all analog processing during the cutting of the 2LP 45RPM edition.

Regarding the 2LP 45RPM edition:

• Mastering & Restoration: Dave Gardner, DSG MasteringLacquer cutting: Dave Gardner & Catherine VericolliOriginal
• Master Tape Archival & Restoration: Catherine Vericolli 
• Additional Engineering and Indispensable Assistance: Nick KingVisual Restoration: Henry H. Owings
• All vinyl variants are all analog, mastered direct from tape to lathe
• Pressed at Furnace Record Pressing
• Gatefold packaging featured on all vinyl editions
• 2xLP 45RPM Edition features a case-wrapped gatefold jacket from Stoughton Printing

In the meantime, I am enjoying the high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz FLAC via Tidal. It sounds fantastic. I won’t be able to audition the DSD version on the SACD until I am back in Phoenix, as I don’t have a DSD option in Minneapolis. I will update this post once I have experienced the SACD. But enough of the audiophile bullshshit. Let’s talk about the music.

First and foremost, Maggot Brain is an Eddie Hazel showcase. Hazel was a Jimi Hendrix-level guitar hero. If you have ever witnessed a Prince face-melting guitar solo, he is channeling the spirit of Eddie Hazel. Clinton’s genius was and is recruiting talent and putting that talent in the best situation to shine. And boy does Hazel shine on this album.

For the titular instrumental track, George Clinton is famously reported to have coached Hazel to play “as if your momma had just died, and then found out she was alive.” Clinton recalled that other band members on the session had drifted off or struggled to find the right groove, prompting him to isolate Hazel, surround him with amplifiers, and let him carry the entire track alone: “So I had to make a record out of whatever I got… I faded they ass right the fuck out and just let Eddie play by hisself the whole fuckin’ track.” The result is one of the all-time great guitar solos in history. The track starts with soul-crushing saddness and ends ten minutes later triumphant rejoicing.

“Can You Get to That” is acoustic folk-blues with gospel-infused backing vocals. The song appears to be about a womanizer who has played out his game:

When you base your life on credit and your loving days are done
The checks you signed with love and kisses, later come back signed, “Insufficient funds”
Y’all get to that

“Hit It and Quit It” is classic funk-rock. It has a funky organ riff by Bernie Worrell and ends with a smoking Hazel guitar solo. It appears to be a song about casual sex.

“You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks” has an amazing bass and drum riff and an urgent, soulful vocal from Billy “Bass” Nelson. It is a call for exploited people to come together so they can work together to get to a better place.

“Super Stupid” is Hazel on guitar and vocals doing his Hendrix thing. It is evidently a true story. According to Harvey McGee, a close friend of the band, Funkadelic was performing in Boston. Hazel was in the mood for cocaine. He went out looking for coke, and came back with what he thought was cocaine. He sniffed it in two lines and, according to McGee, “his eyes got wide, and his nose started running.” It was not cocaine but actually heroin, which “scag” is a nickname for.

Super stupid bought a five cent bag
Thought it was coke but it was scag
Super stupid took a one and one
Then his eyes begin to bug, his nose begin to run
Oh, stupid with your ups and downs
Your maggot brain, your grins and frowns
Super stupid you’re here today
You’ve lost the fight and the winner is fear

“Back In Our Minds ” has an amazing bass line, some great Worrell keys and slinky horns. After loosing their minds the group has come to their senses: “We are back in our minds again.”

The album ends with “Wars of Armageddon,” featuring drummer Tiki Fulwood. Around his incredible drum performance is a collage of sound effects capturing the social and political anxieties of the early 1970s. And of course, some P-Funk locker-room humor:

More power to the people
More power to the people
More pussy to the power
More pussy to the people
More power to the pussy
More pussy to the power
Pussy to the people
Power to the pussy

More peter to the eater
More power to the pussy
More pussy to the power
Right on, right on
More power to the pussy
More pussy to the power
More power to the peter
More peter to the pussy
Right on

Maggot Brain is a masterpiece in the P- Funk catalog and a must-listen for fans of funk and soul.

Note: Spotify lists this album as Lossless, which means the streaming resolution is 24-bit / 44.1 kHz FLAC (CD quality).

Crossover bluegrass stars have come and gone (David Grisman, Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, etc.), and new stars have emerged (Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Greensky Bluegrass, etc.). But only Billy Strings fills arenas playing bluegrass and bluegrass-influenced music.

I like bluegrass music, but I am not as drawn to it as other rootsy genres. Billy Strings has really hooked me.

So Much for Goodbyes is not radically different from the rest of his catalog. Sonically, it is a bit more atmospheric. Lyrically, it is more serious. Overall, it has more of a singer-songwriter vibe. Strings’ vocals are the best yet.

Strings has been open about the inspiration for So Much for Goodbyes: grief, generational trauma, and the complex relationship with his mom, who passed away in 2025 due to an accidental drug overdose. Strings’ birth father overdosed when String was very young, and Strings’ mom has struggled with addiction, but Strings was not aware she had relapsed. Strings himself is now completely sober – his sole addictive vice is coffee. Given his family history, I applaud him.

Strings hired producer T Bone Burnett to help him with the album (Strings knew T Bone through other projects). Burnett has a great track record as a producer. Strings specifically sought out Burnett for this album to bring his magic touch to this emotionally raw, grief-filled project.

So Much for Goodbyes is my new favorite Billy Strings’s album. There are no tracks to skip, and there is enough sonic variety to hold my interest. A few tracks even have drums/percussion. If you just want to sample one track, try “Mill Town Flood.”

Streaming vs vinyl: Except for a little surface noise on the end of side one, the vinyl LP is great. Somehow it seems more real and more intimate. The high-resolution stream is 24-bit/96 kHz, and with the right gear it is pretty breathtaking.

I heard all the indie hype around Punisher (Bridgers’ 2020 breakout). I listened that album at the time, but it never resonated with me. However, I loved her in the indie supergroup boygenius. I never really had a sense of who was who (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus) on their album the record (2023) – I just enjoyed the vibes. Lost Weekend has got me hooked. It takes Bridgers’ folk-rock sound to a more adventurous and ambitious place.

In a recent feature in Nylon magazine, the author writes: “Bridgers has fine-tuned the specific sound of melancholy with a wink. Her pen is sharp and her heart is firmly on her sleeve.” That is an excellent summary of Bridgers.

Although Bridgers has not done traditional press to promote Lost Weekend, she has made it known that the new album is a cathartic work dealing with romantic breakups, her complicated relationship with her father, his death, the ups and downs of fame, and new romance. A lot has happened in Bridgers’ life since her last album: a high-profile romance with Irish actor Paul Mescal, a public breakup with Mescal, her father’s death, fame and fortune, cool friends like Taylor Swift and Maggie Rogers, and a more private romance with American comedian and actor Bo Burnham. All of this is on full display on Lost Weekend and in her college radio track-by-track commentary.

Normally, I would not be drawn into my-life-as-art musings of a sad girl pop star, but Bridgers delivers so successfully that I can’t be cynical (my Mount Rushmore artist, Joni Mitchell, pulled off a similar trick in her career). Bridgers has more in common with Bon Iver than Taylor Swift (who said about Lost Weekend: “Haven’t been able to stop listening. This album is an absolute triumph in every way.“). Her lyrics are deep, and I assume a big attraction for her fans, but what really draws me in is the music (keep in mind I am a Dylan fan who is more into his music than his lyrics). The music is a combination of folk, rock, and electronica – the arrangements are deceptively simple on first blush, but almost symphonic upon a deeper listen. Vocally, Bridgers can go from a whisper to a scream (frequently in the same song). Despite her sad-girl persona, Bridgers is often fun and funny, yet always poignant.

Although there are some great songs on this album, there isn’t a stand-out single. This is an album that needs to be consumed in its enitrety. If you are not ready to commit to 52 minutes, start with the songs “Bobby” (about falling in love) and “The Governor’s Waltz” (about the perils of success). Those two will give you a good feel for the vibe of Lost Weekend.

Lost Weekend includes several collaborators, including: Alex G, Jack Antonoff, Julien Baker, Bo Burnham, Lucy Dacus, Christian Lee Hutson, Caroline Shaw, Chris Thile, and Cameron Winter (who is credited via an alias: Son-John Johnson). Most songs have multiple songwriting credits, but they’re pure Phoebe Bridgers.

Bridger’s has clearly struck a chord at this moment. She sold out 34 arena shows in minutes (the tour was expanded to 45 shows). It is a top album of the year on Metacritic (91). Lost Weekend is this year’s Getting Killed (Geese 2025), that is, the album that captures the indie rock zeitgeist.

I approached seeing Willie Nelson at his Outlaw Music Festival as the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae that was the other six festival acts. My wife and I had low expectations for Willie – the last time we saw him in 2019 was a poor performance (to Willie’s defense, he was hospitalized a few days later with pneumonia). Recent recordings have displayed that Willie’s vocals are in decline. We considered skipping his set, but stayed out of honor to a truly American musical institution and living legend (and let’s face it, there can’t be many Willie performances left). We were pleasantly surprised by his performance. Granted, he remained seated for the performance; his voice was weak, his guitar playing muted, and he was heavily supported by “the family,” yet the spark was still there: I got goosebumps several times throughout the hour-long performance.

The show opened with Willie singing his classic “Whiskey River,” and it was rough. You could barely hear him. I could not tell whether his sound team had a problem or were intentionally hiding his voice by keeping the volume low. Eventually, Willie’s voice grew stronger and/or the sound was adjusted. We were no longer distracted by this and could enjoy the show.

The playlist (see below) featured Willie classics and some curveballs, like a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” which really works as a Willie song. It is a song about love, gratitude, and the briefness of life.

Lukas Nelson took the lead on his song “(Forget About) Georgia,” which worked perfectly in the context of this set. Lukas told the background: he had broken up with a lady named Georgia, yet had to perform the standard “Georgia” with Willie. Next, Micah Nelson sang his song “Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven),” with Willie delivering the punchline:

Micah: And if I die when I’m high
I’ll be halfway to heaven

Willie: Or I might have a long way to fall

Overall, the setlist was a wink to the audience that Willie understands this is likely the last time you will see him, and he hopes you are ok with that (he seems ready, but not impatient).

Willie doesn’t have much in the tank, but he can leverage what he has to create great drama. For example, on “You Were Always on My Mind,” he used pauses to heighten tension and emphasize the regret in the lyrics.

Willie is an underrated guitar player with a jazzy aesthetic. I assumed that he had lost his ability and that his guitar, Trigger, was merely a prop at this stage of his career. But in the second half of the set he squeezed out some tasty guitar solos. The big screen zoomed in on his hands, and they were remarkably dexterous. When his son Micah took a noisy solo on “Everything Is Bullshit,” and the camera zoomed in on his hands, I was shocked by how similar Willie’s (age 93) and Micah’s (age 36) hands looked (the circle remained unbroken).

My wife and I were deeply moved by Willie’s performance and were grateful we had stayed to witness the set. The cringe of the beginning of the set made the payoff of the rest of the set that much sweeter. The bonus of the performance was that each time Willie finished a song and received an ovation, he would respond with a wry smile we will never forget. A truly magical performance.

Setlist:

1. Whiskey River
2. Stay a Little Longer (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys cover)
3. Bloody Mary Morning
4. I Never Cared for You
5. (Forget About) Georgia (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real cover)
6. Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven) (Particle Kid, AKA Micah Nelson, cover)
7. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
8. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
9. On the Road Again
10. You Were Always on My Mind
11. Good Hearted Woman (Waylon Jennings cover)
12. Georgia (on My Mind)
13. Just Breathe (Pearl Jam cover)
14. Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson cover)
15. Everything Is Bullshit (Particle Kid cover)
16. Last Leaf (Tom Waits cover)
17. Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
18. Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
19. I’ll Fly Away