Michael Martin Murphey at The Wildey

 

So, last Friday evening (May 27, 2022), we went to see Michael Martin Murphey at the Wildey.  I  knew Michael Martin Murphey (MMM) primarily from his 1975 album "Blue Sky – Night Thunder", but I knew he had done a lot of other stuff, so it seemed like a good show.  And it was; very good!

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The show was announced with semi-short notice (~5 weeks) sold out pretty quickly.  By the time I went to buy tickets there were maybe a dozen left.  I decided to try out the balcony, the first show (at the Wildey) I've seen from above.  but there are no bad seat at the Wildey, and the balcony is no exception.  In fact, my wife said she prefers the higher angle.  The view from our seats, before the show:

Al Canal did the introductions (as usual) and pointed out that this evening was the 50th anniversary of the release of Michael Martin Murphey's first album, and he added this show to his tour to play on the anniversary.  Thus the short notice.  [Aside:  Wikipedia says it was released 5/25 rather than 5/27, but I'll take the artist's word for it!].

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MMM played without a full band, but with his son Ryan as accompaniment.  He spent ample time telling the stories behind the and the songs, and stories about his life.  It was perfect amount of time, without being excessive.  It made for a very intimate show, perfect for the intimate setting.  

Here's a shot during the show, I try and limit myself to a couple of quick shots between songs:

The show was scheduled to start at 8, but it was probably 8:10 when Al Canal did his intro.  The first set was about 90 minutes, then we had an intermission. They second set started about 10, and ran close to another hour.  They closed with a 2 song encore.  A very full show, we certainly got our money's worth.   

MMM siad some nice things about the Wildey, and it's acoustics, and suggested he might come back to record a live album.  That would be a fun thing to be part of, we'll have to see how good intention match reality.

I didn't log the setlist, but here's a list of most of what he played.  Far from complete, not in order:

Geronimo's Cadillac

Texas Trilogy: Daybreak / Trainride / Bosque County Romance

Backslider's Wine

Cosmic Cowboy

Carolina in the Pines

What's Forever For?

Cowboy Logic

What Am I Doin' Hangin' 'round?

Medicine Man

Wildfire

Road Beyond The View

Riversong