Alejandro’s January Concert: 2018

Alejandro Escovedo likes to celebrate his January birthday with concerts at the ACL-Moody Theater. And Bill and I like to attend these concerts. Each show has been unique: a tribute to Leonard Cohen, the Austin music scene, and Alejandro’s own music including a hurricane sequence. All have been very entertaining.

The first half of this year’s concert was devoted to Alejandro’s 2001 album, A Man Under the Influence. He and his band played through the album’s songs in order. Many of these same musicians had worked on the original album.

My favorite song was Castanets, which featured a flamenco dancer playing the castanets. Way back in 2005, this song was revealed to be on then-President George W. Bush’s iPod. Not a fan of Bush, Alejandro declared a moratorium and wouldn’t play Castanets again until he was leaving office.

The second half of the concert was titled Think About the Link. After suffering from Hepatitis C for many years, Alejandro is raising awareness for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Each guest artist performed one of their own songs and one cover by a musician who had died of cancer. First up were brothers Robert Patrick (actor: Terminator 2) and Richard Patrick (band: Filter).

Craig Finn, frontman for our favorite band, The Hold Steady, performed his own song, Newmyer’s Roof, and did an excellent job of covering Warren Zevon’s Mohammed’s Radio. Bill and I have seen The Hold Steady many times, and it’s always fun to watch Craig perform.

Another guest, Jesse Malin, dedicated his performance to his mother who died of breast cancer. Cindy Wilson, of The B-52s, was scheduled to perform, but had to cancel due to the flu.

The evening ended with two encore covers: All the Young Dudes and Rock & Roll. Alejandro and his band are now taking this show (with different guest artists) on the road to New York, Chicago, Nashville, and a few other cities.

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