Phil Cook’s Southland Revue: Introducing Southland Mission
Duke Gardens, Durham
Wednesday, June 24
The program for the packed final night of Phil Cook’s Southland Revue was straightforward and self-explanatory: With the show titled Introducing Southland Mission, the band tore through Cook’s nine-song LP due out via Thirty Tigers in September.
After beginning with “Ain’t it Sweet,” the band followed with Charlie Parr’s “1922” and Cook’s “Great Tide” (you can listen to the studio version of it here). Cook previously played “Lowly Road” on Tuesday night, but beefed it up Wednesday with the full band, which included Tamisha Waden as a backup vocalist. The band became even fuller Wednesday when Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath joined Waden to help with vocal duties.
After “Time To Wake Up,” a song Cook wrote to help his three-year-old son bounce back from naptime, “Anybody Else” and “Gone,” Cook invited his friend and Ponysaurus Brewing founder Keil Jensen onstage to sing Tom Petty’s “The Apartment Song.” The band reprised Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner,” which they covered Monday night, before launching into an extended cover of “Northeast Texas Women,” with Meath belting the lead. That and the “Six Days on the Road” encore made for an energetic and grand finish. It was the perfect way to cap the three nights of performances that offered a fantastic portrait of Cook along with both his larger body of work and his influences.
Phil Cook & The Guitarheels, “Great Tide”
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