Blonde hair caught the Pavilion lights, grey eyeshadow framing eyes that have seen plenty. Recently turned 73, Lucinda Williams carried a rock ’n’ roll glamour that felt effortless, lived-in, and natural. Her voice sounded richer and more assured than ever, each note carrying the weight of experience, resilience, and stubborn joy as she opened with World Without Tears.
The World’s Gone Wrong immediately set the tone for a night of raw emotion and cool defiance. These songs sketched a portrait of a fractured America, rooted in human experience, a terrain Williams has mined from the oil towns of Lake Charles, Louisiana, to the wider American South. The four-piece band, pared back by the absence of one guitarist, only sharpened the focus. Marc Ford, formerly of The Black Crowes, brought clipped grit and rootsy swagger to the guitar while bassist David Sutton, veteran of her Buick 6 backing band, held the low end with steady authority, locking grooves in place. Behind them, drummer Brady Blade Jnr, green-haired and clad in a Misfits T-shirt, played with flair and soul. Part-timekeeper, part showman, he added levity, briefly making a comic exit mid-set for a quick break.
Williams offered a spine-tingling Drunken Angel, steeped in the atmosphere of her hometown. Low Life soared, prompting one fan to rock back and forth in his seat, defying gravity as the music carried him. How Much Did You Get for Your Soul cut with sharp wit and quiet menace. Williams didn’t need to name names; everyone knew who she was addressing. It was a reminder of her fearless songwriting and an artist with soul and a conscience. So Much Trouble in the World brought a reggae groove; the spirit of Bob Marley’s track felt right for these times. A version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps allowed Marc Ford to deliver a knockout solo that left the crowd slack-jawed; even Lucinda was blown away. The set tightened again with Change the Locks, a cut covered by Tom Petty, tonight sounding even more low-down and dirty.
A final encore of Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World was delivered with absolute rock n’ roll heart. The Pavilion pulsed with energy as one fan sprinted to the front, arms raised, only to be huckled back to his seat. It didn’t stop him returning, this time undeterred. Williams lingered onstage, blowing kisses and pressing her hand to her heart, smiling and waving long after the house lights came up and the drummer had begun dismantling his kit.
Although she required assistance to move across the stage following a stroke in 2020, she commanded the room entirely through her voice, presence, and sheer force of character. She thanked the audience for making the band so welcome, spoke of the beautiful country and reminded us that “people have the power.”
In every note, every lyric, every riff, she remains herself, tough, tender, irrepressible and utterly alive.
