James McMurtry Live in Tucson
Hotel Congress
Tucson, Arizona
October 8, 2022
by Mary Andrews
James McMurtry had some big shoes to fill as the son of novelist, Larry McMurtry. Larry wrote books and screenplays, i.e. Brokeback Mountain, Lonesome Dove, and The Last Picture Show. James eventually found his niche in writing and performing songs. His songs paint a complete picture of middle class America in just a few stanzas. His writing is enough to grab the listener by the short hairs making them stand up at attention.
The songsmith seems to have lived the the stories of working-class people struggling to survive making ends meet and searching for peace of mind. He emphasizes in interviews that his songs are not autobiographical, but regardless, there seems to be a lot of McMurtry in his songs. And McMurtry is at the peak of his game.
McMurtry has been cutting records since the 80s and he has been garnering accolades from people like Stephen King, Jason Isbell and critics alike.
McMurtry’s most recent release is The Horses and the Hounds.“Canola Fields,” a standout song from the album, was nominated for The Americana Music’s Association’s Song of the Year for 2022. After its release a year ago, McMurtry wasn’t able to tour extensively due to post pandemic ‘rules.’ Now he is making up for lost time. The set was more of a look over the last 30 years of his music rather than just the new album.
McMurtry seems to call Tucson a second home since he spent time here attending the Universally of Arizona. Hotel Congress is his usual stomping ground when he comes to town. This show was set up at the outdoor stage to a sold out crowd who were ‘chomping at the bits’ to see and hear McMurtry perform. McMurtry did not disappoint.
McMurtry brought his outstanding band with expert guitarist, Tim Holt. Holt has toured with McMurtry for decades. It was a treat to see McMurtry and Holt spar with their guitars throughout the set. It was easy to see that they enjoyed it as much as the crowd enjoyed seeing them. McMurtry proved he was as good with guitar as he was a songwriter. The uptempo support from the rhythm section, bassist Cornbread and drummer Daren Hess rounded out his band.
McMurtry invited the crowd to join him in front of the bandstand to dance. The fans complied. Someone in the audience shouted out a song they wanted to hear. McMurtry responded very quickly, saying, “Some of you know what you want to hear, but none of you know what you’re going to hear.” Subject closed.
Politics stayed on the back burner even though McMurtry has a lot of songs containing political themes. “Copper Canteen” and “Choctaw Bingo” were as political as he got. He declared one was “a medley of his hit.”
McMurtry keeps getting better as he ages unlike his contemporaries, and his audience keeps getting bigger as a result. At the end of the set, McMurtry thanked the crowd for coming out to see him and added “I hope to be back again.” There was a resounding “Hell yes” and applause. It was a special night. See you next time James! Setlist
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