Turnpike Troubadours with The Black Lillies at Highline Ballroom

The Black Lillies

Turnpike Troubadours

-Tara

Once you hit Wednesday, you know you're passing the hurdle and the work week, for most, is almost over. This past Wednesday the Turnpike Troubadours and The Black Lillies made it that much easier to get over the proverbial hump as they played to a packed Highline Ballroom in NYC.

Having seen both bands numerous times, I can say that the pairing of the two is quite perfect in many ways: their ability to craft a song, their impeccable musicianship, the amount of energy they put into their shows and the pure (contagious) enjoyment that emanates from them as they play.

The Black Lillies - Cruz Contreras (guitar, keys, mandolin, vocals), Trisha Gene Brady (vocals, guitar), Bowman Townsend (percussion) and multi-instrumentalists, Sam Quinn, Mike Seal and Jonathan Keeney - played an hour long set of songs from this fall's sublime Hard To Please as well as older favorites including opener "Whiskey Angel." Authentic, rich and vibrant, they had the diverse (and well behaved) crowd, from 20 something college grads to pregnant women to much older folks, movin' and groovin' - perfectly setting the tone for the night. Townsend, sporting a headband, skillfully kept it all together on percussion while Quinn, Seal and Keeney (all recent additions) seem as if they have been playing with them from the start. Contreras is an immensely talented and entertaining player, with distinct vocals and an engaging personality while Brady, who garnered nothing but praise every time she sang a note, has one of the best voices, hands down, across all genres of music.

After a brief break, the lights went down, the Troubadours came out and the pace rarely dropped from full throttle for over an hour and a half. They started with the first three tracks from their stellar recent (self-titled) release and only took a pause when Evan Felker performed Jesse Winchester's lovely "Mississippi You're On My Mind" acoustic and R.C. Edwards covered Dawes' "May All Your Favorite Band's Stay Together." Throughout the night, the enthusiasm and energy from Ryan Engelman (guitar) and Kyle Nix (fiddle) seemed to rival that of the crowd while Edwards, Pearson and a talented multi-instrumentalist (whose name I didn't catch) held the rhythm strong with Felker the assured front man whose unique vocals breathed believability and heart into every word he sang.

Contreras joined in on closer "Long Hot Summer Day," then after a few "encore" chanting moments, Turnpike returned with the appropriate "Long Drive Home" (co-written by Jonny Burke) to cap off an incredible evening where everyone left happy and the music, as it should be, was forefront.

With only a few dates left, there's only a couple chances to see them together. However, both are road warriors, so seek out their websites, check out the tour dates and head to a show. You'll be glad you did.

TT Setlist

TBL Setlist