From the Screen to the Stage: Kiefer Sutherland Goes Alternative at Iron Works
I’ll be honest right from the jump – I’d only heard one
Kiefer Sutherland song, “Not Enough Whiskey,” going into his Buffalo debut at
Buffalo Iron Works, which is just a fabulous concert venue with an even better
staff, but that’s a story for another time. And to be even more brutally
honest, I was on the fence as to if I even like that one song. Still, I soldiered on with an open mind, and I have to
say, I was pleasantly surprised by the end of the night.
And speaking of surprises, Minneapolis singer/songwriter Austin Plaine was one for sure. Lots
of twang and a healthy dose of emotional lyrics and engaging sing-a-longs.
Plaine’s soulful plucking paired well with a few pints of fine local beer,
namely Resurgence IPA and Big Ditch Brewing’s Excavator.
Kiefer Sutherland then proceeded to deliver a mostly
enjoyable, if not a bit uneven, set of alt-country/folk tunes, presented as
something of a Storyteller performance. He played a number of songs taken off
of his forthcoming debut LP Down in a
Hole, including “My Best Friend,” a song about not being able to trust
anyone if you can't do that for yourself and “Going Home,” about being at a bar
alone and having no idea why you're there. Sutherland’s love for Waylon
Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and early Merle Haggard was clearly
evident, especially on the song “Shirley Jean,” a song about a prisoners’ last
night on death row writing a letter to the only girl he ever knew, a harrowing
tale emblazoned with heart-on-sleeve lyrics. He shined during a cover of Tom Petty’s
“Honey Bee” and Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” before ending his set with a spot
on cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”
“When we were putting this record together I was shocked
to a see how songs I'd wrote about drinking,” Sutherland said during the set.
If nothing else, Kiefer Sutherland is a showman and it's
hard not to respect someone who does what he does given the schedule he keeps.
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