Rolling in from Lawrence, Kansas (by way of New Orleans), was Truckstop Honeymoon, the husband-and-wife duo that with just two instruments (Mike West on guitar or banjo; Katie Euliss on doghouse bass) and a bare stage brought the entire audience to its dancing, rollicking feet. These two were flat-out fantastic. Their music was rich, humorous, poignant, intelligent, rootsy, and as real as it gets. They swung into immediate high gear with "Rockabilly Debuttante," Katie's smart soprano a strong contrast to Mike's homey baritone, and followed up with the love song "Waffle House Booth." The awesome music didn't stop. "I Won't Let the Angels Take You Away," "Tugboat Captain," "I Ain't Lettin' You Drive My Truck," "Bible School," "Strawberry," "Two Thousand Twenty-Two," "Blue Collar Blues," "Magnolia Tree," "She'll Never Find a Man," "Delivery Boy," "Capital Hill," "My Automobile," "Bad Attitude," "Walk of Shame," "Rockin' Chair," "Old Dog," "Johnny & June," and "The Woman You Married." I was glad they came out to Phoenix to see us, and I sure do hope they come back again. I picked up one of their three available CDs (the rest can be found at their website, along with their tour dates), and hope to get the other two as soon as I can.
Finally, later than expected, the star of the show came on (although it seemed to just depend on which group was billed first on which flyer), as Jesse Dayton's plane finally arrived from Houston and he and his guys took the stage. Dayton had played a show earlier in Houston and it was obvious he was tired, but he still strapped on that guitar and sang us some great songs, kicking off with "Jammin' Town" and "Kissin' Abilene Goodbye." He was chatty, reminding everyone to vote in November (I really gotta like this guy), and waxing eloquent on the pleasures of Jim Beam. Dayton was in great voice as he sang us "Home Gettin' Hammered (While She's Out Gettin' Nailed)," "Just What I Needed," "The Grand Tour," "Mexican Blackbird," "Loretta," "Dope-Smokin' Song," "Just To Get You Off My Mind," and then surprised me with his closing medley, consisting of "Georgia on a Fast Train," "Folsom Prison," "Me & Paul," "White Freight Line," and "Amarillo Highway." I think it was the shortest set I've ever seen Dayton do, but as I said, he was tired. He also wanted to see the evening's first attraction back on stage, so he introduced Blackout Radio and finished. I missed a few regular songs, but he does such a bang-up job I sure wasn't disappointed.
After that, though, I just couldn't stay up any longer. It was nearly one in the morning and I had to work the next day (the problem with middle-of-the-week Americana concerts), so I headed home. I was glad as always to chat a little with Pete Anderson (always the gentleman) and Moot Davis, and was sorry I was too tired to say "hey" to Jesse. I really just loved Truckstop Honeymoon and the Red Mountain Drifters, and have to say that for $10, this was one hell of a deal. It was a great way to spend the Fourth of July.
