An outdoor concert in St. Louis in July typically means hot and humid with little to no relief once the sun goes down.
The threat of evening showers loomed most of the day on this unseasonably cool, breezy July 31 day in St. Louis. Fortunately, the rain dissipated for the die-hard fan-friends of headliner Lucero and opener John Henry.
Lucero’s singer and guitarist Ben Nichols had a gleam in his eye and a wide grin on his face all night long. More than once he stated how good it was to be in St. Louis and to be out, playing. He noted that maybe tonight would be the night they’d hold their block party and then joked, “oh, nope, it’s not raining, can’t be.”
On tour, supporting their newly released (July 2021) album, When You Found Me, Lucero’s 90-minute set only included five songs from that and opted to play more fan favorites (of which there are many) as there’s a plethora to opt from. This rock ’n’ roll, classic punk, country-folk, Americana, and deep-fried Southern soul band is known for churning out a lot of good music. Nichols did share that “Coffin Nails” from the new album mentions his great grandfather, John Rufus.
About a third of the way through the evening Nichols said, “I don’t know what this next song is about but it’s one of my favorites. Anything to do with a devil in the bar…” as the band (Brian Venable, guitar, Rick Steff, keys, John C. Stubblefield, bass guitar, and Roy Berry on drums), slid into “Everything Has Changed.”
St. Louis’ heartland rocker and troubadour, John Henry opened the evening to a good-sized crowd that continued to sprinkle in during his 40-minute set. Henry filled out the stage by adding several Funky Butt Brass Band members to his supporting band filled with other notables, including John Horton of the Bottle Rockets on lead guitar, El Monstero’s Jack Elking on keys, and Melissa Hayes of South City Strings on violin and supporting vocals.
To say music is in Henry’s blood is an understatement. At this point in his career, Henry is a notable fixture of the music scene in St. Louis and beyond. If he’s not out playing solo or with his band you can find him booking and promoting shows at Off Broadway or producing music events such as Open Highway Music Festival.
Henry’s set included a cover of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender,” “Country of the Broken Hearted,” “Work,” and “Out at Sea.”
A cool night with cool vibes stayed with you well after the final notes faded into the darkness.
Find more photos from the concert: https://carriezukoski.smugmug.com/ConcertPhotos/Lucero-and-John-Henry/
Side note: Concerts are coming back in full force during this pesky pandemic and if you like concerts your calendar is filling up quickly. Taking a minute to be “mom” here and hoping you’ll still mask up when you’re in a crowd of people you don’t know — inside or out. And, for the most part, the crowd at Chesterfield Amphitheater on Saturday night respected that we’re still in the midst of the quickly spreading COVID-19. Until headliner Lucero took to the stage, then all bets were off, masks too, as several dozen people crowded mighty close together on the floor to groove to their eclectic sounds.
