A Motor City Roots-Rock Revival
Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings serve up a much-needed reverie
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Friday, November 22, 2024
The Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple
DETROIT—Two voices, two guitars, and sparse songs with gravitas performed on a storied stage; that’s all this music-lover needed — and what Gillian Welch and David Rawlings delivered — this past Friday.
Thirty-two years on from forming a musical partnership forged by a shared love of old-time tunes, the alchemy when these two voices collide is still palpable and was ever-present throughout the duo’s Motor City show inside this century-old building.
I discovered the 57-year-old singer-songwriter in 2003 at the first Farm Aid I attended in Columbus, Ohio when Welch (accompanied by Rawlings) was the first act of the day. My media pass granted access to the photo pit where I was spellbound by the duo’s otherworldly harmony. The too-short, three-song set stayed with me. From that day on, I’ve longed to hear them play live again. I did not imagine the time between performances would be 21 years.
The duo have collaborated on nine records: five under Welch’s name, two under the moniker Dave Rawlings Machine, and a pair under both their names. Despite this body of work, their live appearances in the past decade were few and far between — especially in Canada where I reside — so when I heard they were performing in Detroit (a three-hour drive from my hometown) I convinced my wife and two of our good friends to make a road trip.
As the audience, a mix of cowpokes, middle-aged good-timin’ rounders — many most likely past subscribers to roots-music bible No Depression — searched for seats or bought a beverage like the featured cocktail (a “Mule Skinner Mule”), at 7:45 p.m. the lights dimmed and the crowd roared from the upper balcony to the floor.
Welch sported a black dress with matching cowboy boots; Rawlings resembled a ranch hand — denim from head to toe topped with a white cowboy hat. The duo opened with “Elvis Presley Blues,” from the Grammy-nominated Time (The Revelator). After a token, “hi Detroit,” from Welch, Paul Kowert joined the duo on upright bass. Rawlings then offered “Midnight Train,” from Poor David’s Almanack.
Following this one-two punch, just like the locomotives present in many of the duo’s songs, the show went too fast. Brief stops between songs allowed artist and audience to take in the spirit of this historic venue, pause, and give thanks for the music and for this shared experience.
Throughout the night, Welch and Rawlings took turns on lead vocals. The only other constants were: gorgeous two-part harmony, Welch’s “cranky banjo,” and Rawlings’ frenetic, passionate noodling on his 1935 Epiphone Olympic guitar. The way the musician played and sang all evening, it was a surprise to learn mid-set from Welch — who called her partner in song “Super Dave” for going on with the show — that he was fighting a cold.
This two-set, two hour roots-rock revival focused on the words and the instrumentation of these storied songs about love, loss, resilience and trying to navigate — to quote the late John Prine — this “big old goofy world.”
Earlier this year, Welch and Rawlings released Woodland, which in this scribe’s opinion is one of the year’s best records. Other critics agree as the album is nominated for a pair of Grammy awards, so it was no surprise the concert featured seven of the 10 songs on Woodland. Highlights included: “Empty Trainload of Sky,” “Hashtag,” and “The Day the Mississippi Died.” The first hour-long set ended with the joyful sing-a-long “Wayside/Back in Time” from Soul Journey.
After a 15-minute intermission — with many stuck in the long restroom lines and scrambling to return to their seats, the second set opened with another pair from Woodland: “Lawman” and “What We Had.” The crowd, some lubricated by whatever spirit they imbibed in during the break and others just carried away by the spirit of this temple of song, started to shout requests. Welch acknowledged the enthusiasm and simply said, “We are not going to play any of those, but duly noted,” before plucking on her banjo the opening notes to “Hard Times,” which received one of the loudest reactions of the night.
The artists left the stage to a standing ovation at 9:45 p.m., but the night was far from over. The 1,500 faithful were treated to two encores and five more songs: a mix of favorites like “Miss Ohio” and “Everything is Free,” and traditional hymns like “I’ll Fly Away.”
Nearly two hours after the first strummed notes and these lessons in harmony began, this Friday night communion ended with a countrified-rock cover of “White Rabbit” — Jefferson Airplane’s ode to LSD and anti-authority Summer of Love anthem. Following repeated advice to “feed your head,” Welch, Rawlings and Kowert, took a bow centre stage, waved to the crowd, and left; the audience remained standing — hooting and hollering long after the artists were gone.
As the crowd filed out of the Masonic Temple and onto the streets of downtown Detroit, smiles abounded; people left filled with gratitude for this much-needed gift of live music in these turbulent times.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings recently announced a new run of shows to continue the soul journey in 2025. Catch them if you can. I guarantee you, too, will leave with a smile.
Learn more about the songs on Woodland in this excellent review by NPR and this Q&A in The New Yorker conducted by Amanda Petrusich.
Man, I love learning new stuff. Thanks! Glad I found you.