Anderson Fair

When Nanci Griffith heard about the Anderson Fair documentary, which is currently in the works, she called up Tim Leatherwood, the tall, slender dictator of AFair, and offered to play two shows for free. The original dates were cancelled due to Rita, and rescheduled, thankfully, for a time when I was out of school and back in Houston.

Both nights sold out, which translated into a lot of money for the documentary. And that’s a good thing! I was fortunate enough to be invited to a reception where a twenty-minute clip was shown. It’s going to be amazing when it’s done. Most Houstonians are probably completely clueless about Anderson Fair, which is unfortunate, given its rich musical history. (The website for the documentary can be found here. Go. Watch the trailer. Donate your spare change.)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about concerts in my short life, it’s this: Never pass up the opportunity to see someone great in an intimate setting. And it doesn’t get much more intimate than Anderson Fair. I was sitting out front on a bench, playing cards with my dad until they opened the doors. The next thing I know, a black SUV pulls up, and Nanci Griffith gets out with a sweet little, “Hey, ya’ll!” She took some pictures with people before slipping in the door. She’s just about the most gracious person I’ve ever met.

The show was amazing. We went the second night. I got to sit in the front row, meaning I was a mere five feet from her and her Taylor. (Of course, the room is so small, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The back wall is probably only twenty-five feet from the stage.) Denice Franke did a great opening set, but was a little under the weather. Even sick, you could still tell what an amazing voice she has. Clive Gregson, on guitar and backup vocals, also completely wow-ed me. (Guitar snobs, take note: He was playing an Aria Elecord. It isn’t the guitar, it’s what you do with it. I’m just saying.)

Nanci played her set barefoot and told lots of adorable stories between songs. She played “It’s a Hard Life Wherever You Go,” “Heart of Indochine,” “Love Conquers All,” and, of course, “Flyer” and “Love at the Five and Dime.”

She also told a great story about Eric Taylor, her ex-husband, going through another divorce, and getting drunk dialed by him and several other ex-boyfriends who were going through the same thing. (“I sound like a floozy…I’m not. But I’m 52. I have a past…“) In response, she wrote a collective song for them – “Last Train Home.”

She also talked about finally getting to meet Loretta Lynn, and being abandoned by Jack White (of all people) and Elizabeth Cook when, star-struck, the first words that came out of her mouth were, “Miss Loretta, I learned Spanish waiting for you to come on the radio!” (The station that had the Grand Ole Opry on it was frequently interrupted by a Spanish station.) All of this led up to a great rendition of “Listen to the Radio.”

Overall, it was just a great night, and it really felt more like hanging out in Nanci’s living room while she played some songs than it did a concert. Totally worth the ticket price, especially considering all of the money went to a good cause.