Robert Earl Keen’s goodbye to Fort Worth: A subdued Billy Bob’s show full of fan favorites
Texas troubadour Robert Earl Keen said goodbye to Fort Worth with a subdued last show Thursday night at Billy Bob’s Texas — and, if he’s true to his word, one of the final live performances of his career.
From the moment he ambled out to a waiting stool to when he led the crowd in a jumbled singalong finale, Keen gave the audience a steady stream of fan favorites and deeper cuts from almost all of his studio albums, many of them pleasant surprises.
It’s not that the show lacked energy; Keen’s band was crisp, his voice was strong and his humor and showmanship shone through. But the performance was emblematic of the fact that Keen’s touring career is winding down. He vows he’s retiring from the road, ending with a series of shows at the famed John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes over Labor Day weekend.
After decades entertaining honky tonk crowds, a Robert Earl Keen show is no longer so much about the party. It’s about the songs.
So many are treasures. Keen never made superstar status, but his storytelling — famously represented by “The Road Goes on Forever,” his signature tune — and his direct, poignant love songs have given him a cherished place in the Americana world (or as we would say in his home state, Texas country).
Keen unfurls a tale with evident craftsmanship, such as on “Jesse With the Long Hair Hanging Down” and “Corpus Christi Bay,” both gems in a show that featured more than 25 songs over about two hours.
Keen’s forceful vocals drove “Tom Ames’ Prayer,” a Steve Earle tune in which a ne’er-do-well defiantly recounts his life of crime as he awaits a shootout with the law.
“What I Really Mean” evoked the feeling of trying to tell a loved one how much you miss them. “I’ll Be Here for You,” a deep pull from 1998’s “Walking Distance,” was a soft, beautiful tune of devotion.
The setlist for the concert, a late add to an extensive tour, differed delightfully from Keen’s May performance at the Will Rogers Auditorium, without sacrificing his most popular numbers.
Never the most animated performer, Keen remained seated the entire show. He seemed to relish instrumental stretches with his four-man band, turning to guitar/fiddle player Brian Beken and strumming forcefully. Beken was a secondary star of the show — his mournful fiddle gave a haunting note to “Sonora’s Death Row,” the tragic tale of a cowboy who mistakenly kills one of his partners.
Fans adored their singalong favorites, including “Gringo Honeymoon” and “Copenhagen.” “Five Pound Bass” featured the requisite local shoutout: Discordant notes leading up to the song’s climax were meant to represent the mess at West Seventh Street and University Drive, Keen joked.
In the first encore, Keen provided an unseasonal treat with a solo version of his holiday classic, “Merry Christmas from the Family.” It was complete with green and red stage lights that went dark at the point in the song where Fran and Rita’s motor home blows out the Christmas lights. And of course, they came back up right in sync with cousin David throwing the breaker.
Even these dedicated fans were contentedly calm, mostly staying seated and fairly quiet, except for during the big hits. It’s a testament to Keen’s staying power, one could say, that his crowd is no longer the kind that gets rowdy late on a Thursday night.
Keen’s first encore included tributes to Texas legends Jerry Jeff Walker and Guy Clark. Keen played Walker’s “Gypsy Songman” on a guitar that he said belonged to the late singer/songwriter (a 1950 J45 Gibson, he helpfully told hardcore fans).
In a second curtain call that seemed to surprise the crowd, he paid beautiful tribute to his wife and daughters, who no doubt bore the brunt of his years on tour. “Walking On” showed the promise of his new album “Western Chill,” available online Friday.
The final song, “I’m Comin’ Home,” captures the urgency to get back to your love at the end of a long trip. If this was truly the end, it was a fine capper to years of memorable shows in Fort Worth and specifically at Billy Bob’s.
Keen invited the crowd to take the last chorus, but people were filing out or trying to get back in place. Keen held up a microphone and looked chagrined at the uneven response.
The aura suggested that both the road and the party do eventually end.
SET LIST FOR ROBERT EARL KEEN’S LAST SHOW AT BILLY BOB’S TEXAS
- “All I Have Is Today”
- “For Love”
- “Tom Ames’ Prayer”
- “Jesse With The Long Hair”
- “The Traveling Storm”
- “Dreadful Selfish Crime”
- “Corpus Christi Bay”
- “Shades of Gray”
- “Amarillo Highway”
- “Sonora’s Death Row”
- “Mariano”
- “What I Really Mean”
- “Feelin’ Good Again”
- “Gringo Honeymoon”
- “I’ll Be Here For You”
- “Down That Dusty Trail”
- “Wireless In Heaven”
- “Copenhagen”/”There’s Only One S in New Braunfels”
- “Five Pound Bass”
- “That Buckin’ Song”
- “The Road Goes On Forever”
First encore:
- “Merry Christmas From the Family”
- “Gypsy Songman”
- “L.A. Freeway”
Second encore:
- “Walking On”
- “I’m Comin’ Home”
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 5:03 AM.
