LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL – ROYALE BOSTON

By Rick Fleck

Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real perform to a sold out Royale Boston with Ben Chapman for direct support.

I really enjoy going to shows at Royale Boston in the city’s theater district. It’s a great venue, friendly staff, excellent sound, fantastic line-ups of local, national & international acts, and, most importantly, plenty of bars. Arriving at the 1,200+ capacity club about a half hour before showtime, I was surprised to find it nearly full. What kind of ardent fans fill a venue a half hour before the opening act is set to take the stage?

Apparently country fans is the answer. I found myself there 11/2/23 for Lukas Nelson + POTR, with support act, Ben Chapman. Anticipating seeing Nelson, an artist that I’ve been waiting to see live for years, had me super-stoked. But first on the bill was Fayette, GA via Nashville, TN singer/songwriter Ben Chapman. And I was more than ready to see what he was going to bring to the Royale.

Chapman took the stage to hearty applause, and being, admittedly, not very familiar with him, I was a little surprised to see he was going to be doing his set solo with just his trusty acoustic guitar. Opening with the song “Downbeat”, Chapman immediately took us to some real-life, nitty gritty places that your standard “pop” country singers are not likely to take you. It was a great choice for an opening song, and was it just me, but was there a little CSNY vibe I heard sneakin’ in there?

What followed was a generous 8 song set that went from 6-string flaying rockers to quieter, more introspective numbers, including “Baby Don’t Cry”, “Almost Home” and a song with clearly a deep personal meaning to Chapman, “Georgia Dreaming”. Some of the quieter songs had you standing and leaning forward on your toes, trying to make sure you didn’t miss a word.

Photos Rick Fleck

Chapman has a real, folksy, friendly personality that makes you feel like he’s invited you up to sit on his front porch for a beer while he plays you some songs. At times though, the cavernous room felt a little big for his person-to-person style. I would love to see him perform in a small club where I’m sure he would own the room.

Also included in Chapman’s set, was a spirited cover of “Friend of the Devil” by the Grateful Dead that had the audience singing and dancing along. I think I even smelled some patchouli. Or maybe that was just a flashback. The show ended with “Ont Know Better”, clearly a crowd favorite. For his “first time in Boston,” he left quite an impression, and I’m sure he’ll be enthusiastically welcomed back the next time he passes thru town.

Lukas Nelson came to the stage with a full band of musicians including Logan Metz on keys, Corey McCormick on bass, Anthony Logerfo on drums, and Tato Melgar on percussion. It’s obvious these guys have been playing together for quite some time, as the band was tight & top-notch. They quickly found a groove that fit like an old, worn pair of cowboy boots.

Show opener, “Entirely Different Stars”, set a different tone for the night moving forward. “Entirely Different Stars” was a little trippy, à la Metamodern-era Sturgill Simpson, with a tasty solo from Nelson. This is the kind of song I might have expected toward the end of the night. But regardless of where it fell in the set, it put a big ol’ grin on my face. “Every Time I Drink” was a rollicking casino riverboat style of a song that had the whole room jumping and swaying like we were paddle-wheeling down the Mississippi.

Throughout the night, to his credit, Nelson made scant note of being the son of country music living legend Willie Nelson. But I was struck, as the show went on, at how many times I found myself reminded of Waylon Jennings; one of Willie’s fellow troubadours from The Highwaymen. There is definitely a healthy dose of outlaw country in Nelson, and it comes thru at just the right times.

Before I continue, I have to say that, “Wow!” I had no idea what a fantastic guitar player Lukas Nelson is. Blame it on my ignorance. I thought the other guitarist would take the leads and solos, but Lukas was up there playing like he was channeling some 80’s rock guitar icon. One solo that stood out in particularly was an extended solo on the song “4 Letter”. I have to admit, I love a good heavy metal show as well as any other genre, and I was thrilled to stand back and watch him ply his wares.

His playing, the songs, and the entire band were met with thunderous applause all night. These weren’t just random fans here to see the current, touring, country artist-of-the-month pass thru town. These were Lukas Nelson fans there specifically to see him.

At one point in the middle of the show, the rest of the band left the stage to make way for a solo set from Nelson. During this portion of the show, the single “Just Outside of Austin”, emerged as the highlight of the night for me. Having been fortunate enough to have lived in Austin, “The Live Music Capital of the World,” I don’t know that I’ve ever heard another song that has captured the city’s spirit quite like this one. This was the song that also brought père Willie’s influence into the room with us, so to speak.

Since I first heard it on one streaming service or the other, “Turn Off the News and Build a Garden”, has been my go-to Lukas Nelson + POTR song. Seeing it live was a thrill, and brought back tales of the Austin Armadillo World Headquarters and the hippie-country music sound that is so uniquely Austin SoCo.

Other highlights included Nelson’s stint at the piano (yes, a real piano they must lug around the country!) and the crowd pleasing “Alcohallelujah”. UK guitar prodigy Toby Lee then joined Nelson on the stage for an incredible version of Willie Nelson’s hit “Night Life”, giving it the A-level treatment that it warrants. I would love to see Lee come thru town on a tour of his own. There was also a really fun, jam bandish excursion with “Find Yourself” that brought us back full circle to opener Chapman and his version of “Friend of the Devil”.

The band returned for their encore with a gospel like “Set Me Down On a Cloud”, that made me want to stand on a chair and “testify.” This was followed by show closer, and barroom rocker, “Something Real”, sending us out into the cold Boston night on a distinctly up-tempo note. Lukas Nelson, a stand-alone, rising country music star of many stripes, came to Boston and set down his stakes.

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