Anyone catch the Lucinda Williams/Amos Lee show at the Wellmont this evening? There must have been a few of you there, because the show was just about sold out.
Lee opened the double billed show. His sweet and soulful performance could have been the focal point of the evening, had Williams not blown the proverbial roof off the venue after him.
Lee has a sort of ageless, timeless depth to his vocals that wriggled into my emotions — particularly when he reached the lowest notes. I’ve followed his work for a few years, since WFUV started playing “Arms Of A Woman,” but until I saw him live, I really didn’t get the big picture. The guy is truly worth going out of your way to see. Sometimes I heard a bit of a Dylan influence, other times I caught whiffs of Jim Morrison. He exudes a quiet charm, which was felt even in the almost top row of the Wellmont’s baclony. Mostly, though, Lee has his own sound.
Williams has an aura of confidence and allure, in her stance, in her raspy feminine southern voice and in her kick a** guitar playing. Her poetic lyrics tell it straight, stripped down, but with sincerity, character and raw humanity. The pictures she sings are sometimes tragic and mournful, sometimes raunchy and always beautiful.
She sang many of her older crowd pleasers, and a number of moving pieces from her newly released album, Blessed. By the second encore, Williams was in a righteous, gospel sort of place, seemingly performing to a higher level than the balcony.
In my next life, when I come back as a rock star, I’m gonna be Lucinda Williams. And I’m gonna sing duets with Amos Lee. Then, I will truly be blessed.
Photos by Tommy Nisenson
hmmm, I wonder if the local realtors ever mention the Wellmont as one of the reasons why Montclair is so much better than other communities, just saying
I was there and loved both acts. I had gone to see Lucinda, but really enjoyed Amos Lee as well, though his set was a bit long for an opening act.
@ leslie6042, I was surprised at how long Amos played also, then noticed last night while writing my post that the Wellmont has it as a double billing, rather than an opening act and headliner. Was sleepy towards the end…
Lucinda’s new guitar player is great…but a bit of a mismatch. She wasn’t as on as usual, but still loveable.