By Will Roper and Twyla Twang
April 23, 2018
Shooter Jennings brought his unique blend of country, rock and metal to the Bourbon Theatre on Sunday night. Accompanying Jennings and his band were Cordovas, a Nashville rock band who opened the show.
Jennings, the son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, has known country music since the day he was born. Throughout his life, he’s learned various instruments like the drums, piano and guitar from the seat of a tour bus as his musical parents performed across the country.
From Nashville, Los Angeles and New York, Jennings has been making his own mark on rock and country throughout the years. He’s performed with both country groups and metal rock groups, expertly combining his country roots with his own tastes in harder rock.
Along with releasing live albums, over the years Jennings has produced seven full-length studio albums in the span of 11 years, with many more shorter EPs and projects. The last, Countach (For Giorgio), was released in 2016 and includes many experimental electronic elements mixed with Jennings’ more country-esque undertones. The album truly shows his progression and constant evolution as an artist, differing greatly from his 2006 album Electric Rodeo which featured his trademark form of outlaw country and heavy rock.
The last stop before a two week hiatus on Jenning’s current Midwest and Southern tour found itself in Lincoln with Cordovas kicking the night off.
Relative newcomers to the country music circuit, Cordovas started the evening with a fun blend of fan-favorite tunes and original country music. The country rock group played and harmonized perfectly with each other, something that has made them beloved in Nashville. Nearly every member of the five-piece band was an excellent singer, with each taking turns either singing or playing a solo during their performance.
Both soft ballads and foot-stomping rock songs were excellent, with songs of off The Cordova’s newest album That Santa Fe Channel continuously revving up the full crowd all the way up until their final song. The classic Nashville country rock could be heard in each note, and the Lincoln crowd ate it all up.
The next performance for the packed audience was Jennings, and he and his band brought an incredible, diverse set that satisfied every member of the Bourbon crowd.
Jennings showed what he’s become known for in the past decade of country music as he started his set with a robust, guitar-heavy country rock song. With his eyes hidden behind the quintessential outlaw sunglasses, Jennings navigated his guitar and belted out lyrics through his definitive country voice. While his father was known for his softer, refined country voice, Jennings has much more grit and bite to his voice that lends itself to his rock-influenced style of music. This showed at the Bourbon, where he and his crew of guitar, fiddle, bass and drums put on powerful songs one after the other.
While much of the music had the crowd on their feet, Jennings also showed a musical side of his more akin to Waylon through the occasional ballad. He showed his vocal range in songs that featured quieter instrumentals, where it was seemingly just Jennings and his guitar as he let out a stream of emotional and sorrowful lyrics.
Overall, country fans in Lincoln were treated to an amazing show by two amazing musical groups. Cordovas and Shooter Jennings complemented each other beautifully, with one being a more traditional country rock band and the other branching out into a more electric and powerful form of country. The show was a blast, and fans will be waiting in anticipation for the next time either comes back through the star city.
Twyla’s Take – Shooter Jennings with Cordovas at The Bourbon Theatre
Twyla Twang is the host of “HonkyTonk Heroes,” keeping true country alive on the radio every Friday from 9 to 10 p.m. on KZUM.
Cordovas have been a regular opening act for Shooter Jennings for several tours and they continue to hold their own. To this programmer’s ears, the Cordovas sound like the Allman Brothers ran into the Grateful Dead on their way to see The Band. And then some. Their pitch-perfect harmonies and soulful jams seamlessly moved from Honky Tonk into funky grooves and back again. Their set list included cuts from their self-titled album as well as a couple from a new release coming out this summer. I doubt the Cordovas know about the “Mandatory Merle” rule, but a rockin’ version of “Stay Here and Drink” fit the bill. The only other cover was the Dead’s “Truckin’”, which as their last song had the crowd primed for Shooter Jennings.
More casual than his signature indigo nudie suit, Shooter hit the stage in a denim shirt and jeans and went right to work. The opening number, “Steady at the Wheel” reflected his entire set where he and his band steadily cranked out 90 minutes of next-generation outlaw country.
Like his daddy before him, Shooter does his music his way. Waylon once said, “there’s always one more way to do things and that’s your way, and you have a right to try it at least once.”
Shooter must have this mantra in his DNA as he continues to push his creative boundaries. The lucky folks at the Bourbon Sunday night witnessed this creativity first hand, showcased especially when Shooter took a seat in front of his electric piano for “Living in a Minor Key”.
Sitting at the piano also may be part of his DNA as his mother, Jessi Colter, played the piano every day in their home and Shooter started piano lessons at age five.
Shooter treated Lincoln to the occasional Lincoln or Nebraska reference as well as some new material from his upcoming summer release, including “D.R.U.N.K.,” “Rhinestone Eyes” and “Denim & Diamonds.” Tipping his hat to those who blazed the trail before him, Shooter’s set included a dramatic rendition of George Jones’ “The Door”, rocked out on Hank Jr’s “Pressure is On” and a tribute to Steve Young on “White Trash Song”, closing the show with the classic “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues”.
Some of Twyla’s personal highlights were “Outlaw You”, anthemic to KZUM’s “Honky Tonk Heroes” program, “Manifesto #1” and “4th of July” which show up frequently on Friday nights, 9-10p on your favorite community radio station, KZUM!
Will Roper is an editorial intern with KZUM. Twyla Twang hosts “HonkyTonk Heroes” on KZUM.
