If the name Steve Earle isn’t familiar to you, you’ll have an idea of what you’re getting yourself into pretty quickly when you start watching this DVD.  Earle is introduced as the “Michael Moore” of the music scene.  I’ve been listening to him on the radio for a number of years and enjoy him quite a bit.

Earle came up in country music at a time when it seemed like it was in trouble and was first hailed as one of its “saviors”.  Partially due to his uncompromising political viewpoint, he never achieved that early promising success.  He publishes now on his own record label, so as to not have to worry about pressure from studio executives to tone down his rhetoric.

In Live at Montreux 2005, Earle is onstage with just an acoustic guitar and harmonica set up for hands-free easy access to his mouth when he’s not singing.  His style isn’t easy to put a finger on.  It’s more of a folksy rock style and reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s protest songs.

Earle isn’t one to hold back.  His lyrics are blunt and often bite.  This concert was a mix of his older work as well as some newer material at the time, but the undertone is pretty much all the same.  With lyrics with lines like “I don’t remember learning to hate in Sunday School”, he lobs blows at the right that often sting.  In between songs, he talks on topical social issues.  It’s definitely not something people who regularly distinguish themselves with an “R” after their name will appreciate hearing.

Ellis Unit One is an anti-death penalty song, a cause Earle has specifically devoted himself to.  It’s the song most likely to be familiar to anyone as it was in the movie Dead Man Walking.  Jerusalem was off of his album of the same name released in 2002 and is his take on the war on terrorism.  The album was controversial, as it challenged the blind patriotism prevalent in this country after 9/11.

Rich Man’s War will resonate with many a war protester as Earle charges that wars are started by rich white men who have never known war and was a direct comment on those in power in the Bush Administration who were so eager to send soldiers to fight with no idea from a personal perspective of what that entailed.  Dixieland brings him back to the Civil War era in the story of an Irishman who isn’t sure of what he’s gotten himself into when he’s fighting for the Union.

Earle is not without his own personal demons.  He’s been married seven times and had drug issues.  Earle doesn’t shy away from commenting on his own personal failings, so it’s not like he’s moralizing to people with his own demons in the closet.  The song CCKMP (Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain) is a good example of that.

Most of the music, however, is a direct response to what happened in this country during the five years prior to this concert, and Early hits the target pretty consistently.  I really enjoyed it as his music reminds me of the 1960s protest music.  The concert is raw in many ways.  The audio isn’t all that great.  The acoustic guitar doesn’t seem to be picked up as well as it should have been.  The vocals are fine.  The picture is good as well and the lighting on the stage really doesn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the show.

There’s a set group of people this will appeal to, and if you find yourself on that side of the political spectrum, I’d recommend checking this out if you’ve never seen or heard Steve Earle before.  If any of the songs I described sound distasteful to you, well, I think you can safely figure out you’re not going to like Steve Earle’s music.  His political views are an intrinsic part of who he is and to expect him to record or perform music that doesn’t illustrate those beliefs would be fruitless.


Set List:

Jerusalem
What’s A Simple Man To Do
The Devil’s Right Hand
Warrior
Rich Man’s War
South Nashville Blues
CCKMP (Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain)
Dixieland
Ellis Unit One
Condi Condi
The Mountain
The Revolution Starts Now
Copperhead Road
Christmas in Washington