Playing their biggest show to date in Lubbock, Midland brought their vintage sound and aesthetic in full force to Cook’s Garage to kick off our semester of coverage.
Going into this show, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I had never really known much about the band’s live shows before Friday night but have always been a huge fan of their studio material and I think their latest album, The Last Resort: Greetings From, is one of the best country albums of the year with super slick production and some incredible harmonies and hooks. My biggest hope was that the band wasn’t just a product of studio magic and would be able to put on a solid show. My expectations were exceeded by a large margin.
Just from their first song, 21st Century American Honky Tonk Band, the band was firing on all cylinders and already had fantastic stage presence. Burn Out, which got thrown in the third slot on the setlist, led to one of what would go on to be many sing-alongs throughout the band’s 90-minute set. The trio has a certain swagger on stage that’s just so fun to watch. Whether it’s guitarist Jess Carson perching himself on top of speakers on stage or singer Mark Wystrach doing twirls and doing the Dwight Yoakum shuffle on songs like Mr. Lonely and Paycheck to Paycheck, the band was very clearly having a great time on Friday night.
The setlist relied mainly on the band’s latest album but still had their big hits along with a few covers. The best of those covers were East Bound and Down, the theme song for Smokey and the Bandit, and their closer, Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. While I can’t say the band’s versions were better than the originals, they absolutely did the songs justice, especially East Bound and Down, that performance was fantastic.
Other highlight performances of the evening included Sunrise Tells The Story, the lead single from their latest album and was pure bliss live. The song is already incredible but hearing it live with people singing the chorus back was amazing. Also, the crowd reaction for Drinkin’ Problem, the band’s first huge hit, was the loudest of the evening and had everyone in the “standing room only” area dancing along.
The show was opened by The Wilder Blue, a five-piece band fronted by Zane Williams who I think is one of the most underrated artists in the Texas country scene. The band is his newest project and I think they’re going to be huge. The band is full of excellent musicians, they all have a blast on stage, and most importantly, their music is fantastic. From faster, more bluegrass-inspired material like Shadows and Moonlight and The Ghost of Lincoln (written on the setlist as The Ghost of LinkedIn) to songs like Wave Dancer and Feelin’ the Miles which rely more on harmonies and are much more laid back, I’m pretty sure the band gained a bunch of new fans over the course of their set.
Midland will continue to tour across America until the end of November, tickets and more info can be found at https://www.midlandofficial.com/tour. Their latest album, The Last Resort: Greetings From can be streamed or bought wherever you get your music. The Wilder Blue will continue to tour across America for the rest of the year. Their tour dates can be found at https://www.thewilderblue.com/shows. Their latest album, The Wilder Blue, can also be found wherever you buy or stream music.
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