AUSTIN — At 83, country legend Loretta Lynn has greater cultural cachet at South by Southwest than even the buzziest up-and-coming acts, as it should be. And she draws a big, adoring crowd of all stripes, judging by the turnout and reception at the BBC's Stubb's showcase on Thursday evening.
As has been the case for the last several years, Lynn was backed by a band featuring a few members of her immediate family. Son Ernie led the band and daughter Patsy helped her mama out with a few lyrics (we'll get to that in a minute), but they also served as Lynn's comedic foils. The woman can sing as powerfully as ever, and she's quicker 'n you, to boot.
And nimble! I rarely see artists of any age take requests, but she was happy to ask for them.
"Holler out what you wanna hear!" she told the front section, as she stood front-and-center in a sparkly red, neck-to-toe gown.
Luckily, what people wanted to hear included all the gems that Lynn and her band usually play — "You're Lookin' at Country," "When a Tingle Becomes a Chill," "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man," and good lord, "Fist City." Think about how edgy those lyrics are, especially considering when they were originally on the charts.
About halfway through the festival set (Lynn joked about how "mean" they were to give her a time limit), the singer took a seat and continued her hit parade. She did eventually get to a couple of songs from the satisfying new album, Full Circle, but not without a friendly fight.
Lynn bickered with her band members about which new tune they'd play first.
They even went as far as to start playing their choice. She had none of it.
"Y'all better listen to me or y'all are gonna be playin' for somebody else next week!" The crowd dies laughing. "I never!"
So they stopped and started again, this time with the first bars of Lynn's choice, "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven." The line that follows the title? "But nobody wants to die."
More choice wordplay came with the next new one, "Everything it Takes," but only after this Lynn family exchange:
Ernie: "Hey mama!"
Loretta: "What?!"
Ernie: "Patsy is gonna help you do your new song."
Loretta: "They said they didn't wanna hear it!"
Patsy: "How about me helping you get those words right?"
Loretta (to crowd): "I wrote this song! And I don't know it."
But don't worry about Lynn's memory one bit. She served up every line of 13 tunes, dotted with those signature ascending and descending notes that still give country fans the goosies.
She ended, obviously, with "Coal Miner's Daughter," one of the most moving and imagery-packed autobiographical songs of any genre.
That was the point when I became angry that Loretta was given a time limit.
