Hubbard at Tin Pan South

Birmingham Steve recently posted a few videos from the April 1 Tin Pan South shows at Mercy Lounge. Lucky for me, he caught my favorite song from Hubbard’s set. Lucky for Wife, he caught all of Mike Ferris’s set.

The night started out with a writers-in-the-round set with Mike Ferris, Amy Speace, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. I don’t remember the set lists exactly, Hubbard started it off and I hate to say that I can’t remember the name of it, but it was a good ‘en, and I remember thinking how much it wasn’t fair for Amy Speace to have to follow him.

Then it was Speace’s turn, and she knocked it out, too. I think she sang “The Killer in Me”. Whether she sang that one first or last, I don’t remember, but she sang that one.

And I’m sitting there with my Jack/water, and Wife and SIL, thinking “Well, what’s Ferris gonna do, because I don’t think he can do all that gospel stuff by himself.” And then he sang “Mary, Don’t You Weep” by himself and he just nailed it. My jaw dropped, I was so blown away. I’ve seen him perform at the 2008 Americana Music Awards, but that was with the band and the taxi squad. But I was amazed with the sound he was able to bring out just by himself.

Hubbard was up next and had the quote of the night. “I feel like a stain,” he said.

Indeed.

Rather than even trying to top Ferris’s performance, Hubbard sang “Snake Farm”, which includes the lyrics “Snake farm. Kinda sounds nasty. Snake farm. Pretty much is.” (Repeat and Repeat.) I was never a big “Snake Farm” fan, primarily because it was my second Hubbard album, after “Delirium Tremolos”, and it was a big let down. But Hubbard turned “Snake Farm” into a sing-along and took the crowd back.

Ferris closed with “That’s How I Got to Memphis” and then Hubbard closed with “The Messenger”, both seen here, courtesy of Birmingham Steve.

Congrats to Birmingham Steve aka “Sparky”, who I got to meet that night, for reaching the million views mark with his YouTube videos. I think I may have been the millionth view, and as far as my history of the event will be recorded, it was Grayson Capps singing “Love Song for Bobby Long.”

There’s no video of the Daddy set that followed the Ferris-Speace-Hubbard portion of the program. Without even looking at the tape, Sparky said that the bass drum was so loud (and it was!) that it probably knocked out the mic.

That’s okay. I have my memories. And a set list.