The Cowboy Junkies were only an hour into the opening show of their summer co-headlining tour with Son Volt when dreamy singer Margo Timmins remarked, “Wow, we have one more song to do and, I have to say, I’m ready for my bed.”

Thankfully, the energetic crowd on July 8 at the Ogden Theatre in Denver kept Timmins and her bandmates awake long enough for the finale, along with two encores. That completed a comfortable, if not totally captivating, evening of the laid-back sounds from two of alt-country’s coolest and calmest acts.

If there was any electricity in the air, it came from the crowd, which was pumped up to see this challenging pairing perform extended sets. The Junkies seemingly play in Denver and throughout Colorado every year now, while Son Volt was getting back in the game with the Rounder Records’ release of their latest, American Central Dust, just a day earlier.

And while the Junkies’ next album is still months away from completion (their most recent collection of original material, At the End of Paths Taken, came out in 2007), they did pepper their set of familiar tunes (including three from 1988s breakthrough The Trinity Session) with a few new tracks. The longtime critical darlings also borrowed again from one of their major influences, covering Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down.”

Son Volt, the band fronted by Jay Farrar (left) that will switch opening/closing duties throughout this three-week stint with the Junkies, set the tone with a listless start. But they stormed back with some masterful playing by guitarist Chris Masterson and relied heavily on their new record, with “No Turning Back” and “Down to The Wire” the standouts among at least six tracks presented from American Central Dust. Finishing their hourlong set with Waylon Jennings’ rollicking “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” propelled by Mark Spencer’s blistering steel guitar, the St. Louis-based quintet gave the paying customers high hopes in anticipation of the Junkies’ return.

A fan waiting in line long before the doors opened at 7 p.m. capsulized the appeal of the Canadian mood swingers, saying, “I can’t think of any better way to spend a night than sitting back with a margarita and listening to the Junkies.”

Unfortunately, the group didn’t seem to share the crowd’s enthusiasm. Margo and her band of brothers, including Mike on guitars and Pete on drums – along with longtime friend Alan Anton (bass) and regular contributor Jeff Bird (mandolin, harmonica) – seemed out of sorts from the start. Reaching down into their vast songbook – “Crescent Moon,” “A Common Disaster” and “Brand New World” were from three CDs covering a 14-year span – they went to work without acknowledging the presence of the packed house.

Article Author: Michael Bialas

A newspaper editor and former college football player, Michael Bialas makes sports his business but exploring and reviewing music, movies, TV and other forms of pop culture are among the games he enjoys playing now.
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