"This is the last night of the Dirty Shine tour, and I'm so happy to save the best for last... we're gonna have ourselves a party." Amidst a sold out and intimate setting, ZZ Ward took to the City Winery stage in Nashville this past Saturday to bring her spring tour to a close.
The LA blues n' soul rocker hit the road in support of her latest album -- Liberation -- which greeted listeners last month. Showcasing a less than common theme in blues music, Ward traverses the world of motherhood within the album. Returning to her more raw blues-roots driven sound, the record was delivered on none other than Memphis's famed Sun Records.
Opening the show was Liam St. John, who warmed up the audience with his enthusiastic performance. Playing as a trio with electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and standup bass, the tone was set early as the percussion-less bunch got people pumped up for the main event.
With no fanfare, Ward would eventually strut out to the microphone in her prison-break black and white striped pants and full-brimmed black hat, joining her band for one final 'Dirty Shine' tour performance. "My baby left me / Never said a word," she sang in the refrain of her opening song in classic lyrical blues fashion, which sits as the second track of her new record. Smooth groovin' drums carried the tune over a swing dance boogie-woogie style guitar, triggering a palpable electricity in the atmosphere.
ZZ Ward // Photo by Heather Gill
After a rendition of the near hundred-year-old blues staple, "Dust My Broom," and the track "Let It Burn," she spoke to the audience about wrapping up her tour and the new album, which led to her then playing the title track.
As she played through a mix of old and new songs with some classic blues covers for good measure, Ward discussed the intersection of life as an artist and mother, growing up with a dad who brought her to blues bars and taught her the blues harp, and her coming of age as a songwriter. In fact, three generations would be at the venue, with her mom out back in the bus with her two small kids, making for a supportive family affair if not behind the scenes.
Despite being at City Winery, the night seemed to call for whiskey drinks, and after a Manhattan and a 'New Old Fashioned Way' that tasted like Sunday breakfast with an edge, the music seemed to hit that much harder. I overheard a patron next to me talk about how Ward had her harmonicas stolen the night before, and wondered how she knew this information. Perhaps Instagram, perhaps hearsay. But she certainly wasn't without on stage.
With her searing blues vocals and harp chops to match, the tight-squeezed crowd clamored for more song after song. She wrapped up the evening with "Naked in the Jungle," "Criminal," and "Move Like You Stole It."
ZZ Ward showcased why she's a beloved figure in the modern blues scene, doing so in a new and progressive light.
Featured photo by Heather Gill
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