You saw the egalitarian way Pistol Annies work when each took turns covering songs about their home states, going from left to right with their placements on the stage. First, Presley, a native of Kentucky, sang “Blue Kentucky Girl” (a song famous for being sung by both Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris). Monroe sang Dolly Parton’s “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and Lambert sang Tanya Tucker’s “Texas When I Die.” Later in the set, each sang songs they had written. Lambert sang her song “Heart Like Mine” (which she wrote with Monroe and another songwriter) and then Presley sang “Look It Up” (sang most famously by Ashton Shepherd) and Monroe sang “The Truth,” a song she wrote that Jason Aldean took to the top of the Billboard country songs chart.
When the group played “Family Feud,” they were joined by Lambert’s husband Blake Shelton, who they dubbed “Pistol Andy” and who likes to tell his Twitter followers he’s been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He played guitar and sang some backing vocals and after the song, in one of the funnier moments of the night, Lambert accused him of checking out Presley’s chest.
The show ran for a bit over an hour and had the trio playing every song from Hell on Heels and nearly as many covers (including ending with a cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Good-Hearted Woman”). The familiarity worked in their favor and the crowd loved the show, though Lambert made a few references to wanting to drink after the show was over. The only thing approaching a disappointment was the ill-advised cover of Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road, Jack.” The group’s guitarist sang Charles’ parts and was competent but lacked Charles’ charisma.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Las Vegas with the hope of that a lucky break on the roulette wheel or a hand at blackjack can turn around a lifetime of misfortune. The first Pistol Annies show was a great break from that at a time when nearly everyone is broke. They didn’t provide an escapism from it by acting as though it isn’t happening, but by confronting it head first in song. It wasn’t the denial of a reality many head to Vegas to seek out, but a cathartic embrace of it as a group that included almost 2,000 people inside the House of Blues. The crowd leaned heavily towards Southern guys in cowboy hats and the women who love them, but the underlying message is universal.
Setlist:
1. Bad Example
2. Lemon Drop
3. Blue Kentucky Girl
4. My Tennessee Mountain Home
5. Texas When I Die
6. Boys from the South
7. Hunter’s Wife
8. Hit the Road, Jack
9. Chain of Fools
10. Beige
11. Heart Like Mine
12. Look It Up
13. The Truth
14. ???
15. Family Feud
16. Trailer for Rent
17. Takin’ Pills
18. Hell on Heels
Encore:
1. Housewife’s Prayer
2. Good-Hearted Woman
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Hi. Just wanted to let you know you have got some facts wrong. I went to school with Angaleena Presley. SHE is the KENTUCKY girl, & Ashley is from Tennessee.
Sincerely,
Melanie
Thanks Melanie. I corrected that and regret the error. Not sure why I got that wrong (especially when my notes were correct about who sang which song).
A song title missing from your setlist is “Fist City,” the Loretta Lynn song. I thought the “Hit the Road, Jack” cover was entertaining, and led nicely into a sassy “Chain of Fools.”
I liked when Miranda was introducing a song and scolded the loud crowd. “Some of y’all are talkin’, when all y’all should be listenin’!”
Thanks MirandaFan! I think during “Fist City” was when I couldn’t hear from the very back due to some really loud people (there were so many that it did get Miranda’s attention!) and getting pushed back by the bar. I definitely would’ve recognized “Fist City”!
I still really loved the show, I just didn’t think that the cover of “Hit the Road, Jack” had the right person to pull of what Ray Charles made look easy.