I’ve been hearing about the delights of Union Chapel for a couple of years now, but it wasn’t until last night that I was finally able to set foot inside that magnificent building to see a show. A stone’s throw away from Highbury & Islington tube station, the North London concert venue is, as you can imagine, a church (that still holds services every Sunday). I am not religious, but it’s hard to deny that there is something spiritual about a space like that, the tall, awe-inspiring ceilings, ornate architecture and cold, hard church pews recalling childhood memories of service on Sunday. Even for those who do not have those memories, there’s a formidable holiness that lingers in the air.
Seeing Gretchen Peters in this room certainly added to that religious experience. I have seen her once before, at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre, but here the crowd were so much more attentive, more appreciative, more lost in the music as if she were indeed preaching to the congregation with her dark, sad songs. Still, that doesn’t mean folks weren’t in high spirits, and as usual Gretchen juxtaposed her musical melancholy with light-hearted, jovial stage patter that kept things running smoothly.
It’s hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t enrapturing thousands of dedicated music fans every night, but as she explained early on in the show, this was not always the case. This year is the 20th anniversary of her debut album ‘The Secret of Life’, which she joked was “met by universal indifference” by everyone except the UK. As a result, in 1996 Gretchen packed up her things and embarked on a four-city UK tour, just her and her guitar. “We played to about 100 people… total,” she quipped. These days, she plays to a few thousand a night, every night, and plays far more dates in the UK than many US acts – in the States her songs might be better known in renditions by Martina McBride, Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood, but here she’s a regular favourite. Both Gretchen and her husband and band leader Barry noted how UK fans are the best music fans in the world. We are a loyal bunch.
So loyal, in fact, that Gretchen recently won two trophies at the inaugural Americana UK Music Awards, something she appeared genuinely overcome by. I’ve come to find her to be a very humble, gracious and modest person, but even within that she seemed more grateful and appreciative than usual, perhaps reflecting on what she has been able to achieve in twenty years and the fans’ continued support. She noted how when planning the set list for this anniversary tour, she took to social media to ask fans which songs from her career they would like to hear. Among the typical choices such as ‘On A Bus To St. Cloud’, ‘The Secret of Life’ and ‘Independence Day’ (all of which she played), she was surprised to receive lots of requests for far more obscure entries in her repertoire, like the beautiful ‘Love And Texaco’, moved that fans cared that much about all of her music.
For the most part, Gretchen played tracks from her recently-released compilation ‘The Essential’, a best-of CD that includes a second disc of unreleased tracks, demos and worktapes. One of those unreleased offerings was ‘Ring Around The Moon’, a song written by Ben Bullington. Ben was a doctor who, upon being diagnosed with cancer in 2012, decided to fulfil his dream of being a singer-songwriter, and spent the next year making music until his passing in 2013. It was a reminder to all of us to take chances in life and do what makes us happy, because we never know when it might be taken away.
In addition to some of her classics, she also played some well-loved standouts from 2012’s ‘Hello Cruel World’ (the title track, plus ‘The Matador’, ‘Five Minutes’, ‘Woman On The Wheel’ and ‘Idlewild’), and 2015’s ‘Blackbirds’ (the title track, plus ‘When All You Got Is A Hammer’ and ‘Everything Falls Away’). Each was met with courteous silence – you could have heard a pin drop – until it came to a close, when the audience would erupt in applause and cheers. This became particularly enthusiastic during the latter portion of the show, when the musicianship was of such a high calibre and each was so well-rehearsed, that the crowd couldn’t help but show their appreciation. The much-demanded encore consisted of two covers, including an Everly Brothers-style version of Bryan Adams’ ‘When You Love Someone’ (which she co-wrote), and Waylon Jennings’ ‘I Ain’t Living Long Like This’, which ended in an excellent instrumental.
Gretchen Peters always delights, and every show feels just that little bit too short, just not quite enough. If you ever get a chance to see her, it’s always worth doing. She’s truly one of the best, both live and in the studio, and I can’t wait until she returns.
Originally posted here.
