Concert Vids: Alejandro Escovedo Rocks The High Noon Saloon

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Shelley Peckham

Monday night’s show with Alejandro Escovedo was one of my favorites of the year so far…maybe one of my favorites ever. There were so many peak moments, and we’re glad to be able to share a few with you.

The first video is for “Sister Lost Soul” from Real Animal, Alejandro’s most recent release. Note Al dedicated the song to Alex Chilton and Stephen Bruton, both of whom died recently. An elegiac ode to loss, the passing of loved ones, and wanting what you can’t have. Such a plaintive, heartfelt vocal.

The second is “Castanets,” from A Man Under The Influence. Punkish in its intensity, featuring blazing fretwork by David Pulkingham on lead guitar, joined by Bobby Daniel on bass and Hector Munoz on drums. The vocal is muffled, probably due to distortion from the volume.

The last video is “I Wish I Was Your Mother,” a Mott The Hoople cover, with just Al on vocals and David Pulkingham on guitar. This is such a beautiful love song. The interplay with Al and the audience as they sang along on the chorus is precious.

There was no string section, no cello or violin, which, I’ve mentioned before, I love in Al’s earlier work. This was a rock quartet, and while there was ample space for the sweet and tender side of life, the band also got down and dirty and kicked it up to obvious delight.

Unfortunately, the battery died on John Miller’s video camera just before the end of the show, so we don’t have a clip of the closer for the evening, the last of seven encore songs, a rip-snorting version of Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” If anyone caught that on video and has posted it to YouTube, please post the link in the comments section for all to enjoy.

A special thanks to Al and his band, the Sensitive Boys, to all of you who came to the show, and to John Miller for supplying the clips. It was such a great night, one I’ll never forget.

-Tag Evers