The hype surrounding the eccentric musician who only managed to conquer the world later in life with a particularly authentic sound that comes from self-produced instruments has long subsided and the lie regarding his past is now more or less forgiven and forgotten.
Yet Seasick Steve still manages to attract many fans to his performances in the Netherlands. He has clearly not been forgotten and because his new album ‘A Trip A Stumble A Fall Down On Your Knees’ was released last month, there was another excellent excuse to throw all the old rubbish in the tour bus and after a series of performances in the UK to cruise through Europe for a few weeks.
James Dixon has been appointed as support act for Steve’s ‘Summer 2024 Tour’, so the curly haired man from Cornwall, British, has the pleasure of performing in a sold-out Ronda, one of the larger venues in the enormous TivoliVredenburg complex. During a previous tour, Steve had already introduced him as a “soul brother” who has “his fingers in the mud”, but the only rubbish we will encounter on stage tonight comes from Steve’s work boots that were worn last week. sank far above the ankles in the sludge of Zwarte Cross.
Dixon’s influences mainly come from Folk and he also listened carefully to the masters of Delta Blues. With his self-written lyrics, he tries to tell something about himself and the events of his life, including a difficult period during the pandemic. However, tonight’s audience appears to be more interested in each other’s personal stories and the heat of this muggy summer day has also caused some crowds at the bar.
Very occasionally the musician manages to stand out with his somewhat shrill voice. Long story short, it’s not James Dixon’s night here tonight because everyone is simply waiting for the main act.
As always, Seasick Steve enters the stage wearing a cap and dressed in a lumberjack shirt and ‘worn’ jeans, while his faithful companion Dan Magnusson has already taken a seat behind the drums.
The self-built 4-string cigar box is connected to the amplifier and appears to still need to be tuned. Yet he soon manages to conjure up the riff of ‘Don’t Know Why She Love Me But She Do’ and when his faithful companion behind the drum kit produces a pumping unruly beat, everything sounds old and familiar again.
Some things never change and that is sometimes quite nice. Anyone who sees him play for the first time will be surprised, but while some musicians have made great leaps in terms of playing technique in fifteen years, Steve is still doing exactly what he started with.
In between he presents his ‘Three-String Trance Wonder’ and explains that it is quite difficult to play, but you don’t even dare to say that Steve and drummer Dan are well attuned to each other.
They rattle around nicely and that releases the necessary energy that spills over to the audience and it doesn’t matter whether it is in a hall or at a large festival. Two weeks ago they even performed on stage at the Werchter meadow in front of almost a hundred thousand spectators who were waiting for Bruce Springsteen, and shortly afterwards they performed in the mud pit of Lichtenvoorde.
After the also sold-out show in Alkmaar two days before, the new ‘Backbone Slip’ is now being played in Utrecht. Played up-tempo and also ‘catchy’ sounding, it can become a permanent fixture in the set.
The new album also has a familiar sound and it doesn’t matter much whether it is played live or from the record. Steve asks who has already heard the album, after which there is a loud cheer. When asked who has actually purchased ‘A Trip A Stumble A Fall Down On Your Knees’, there is considerably less response from the audience.
A cursory count even suggests that only six copies were sold and not everyone appears to have a record player. In addition to ‘Move To The Country’, “leave your phone behind”, the chorus of which he practices with the audience in advance, the audience will also hear the new swinging ‘Funky Music’ in which he shows off some cool moves.
Feeling sexy, Steve takes off his shirt and notes that it is “horrible” when the men scream louder than the women “when I take my shirt off.” When a lady shows her enthusiasm, he doesn’t hesitate to immediately ask for her number.
It remains with these three new tracks because after ‘You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks’ this ‘Summertime Boy’ also wants to flirt with someone from the audience.
During the set, the cunning fox has been looking around in search of feminine beauty and it turns out that the choice has fallen on Sharon, who is much too young for him.
He picks her up from the audience and offers her a seat on stage. Sharon appears to be somewhat reserved, but fortunately Steve quickly manages to create a bond of trust in his role as ‘player’.
He asks if a love song has ever been sung to her before and moves her chair a little closer. “Just imagine, just you and me here on a porch in Memphis, Tennessee,” his warm voice sounds in a calm tone, before adding: “Just pretend like I”m 50 years younger,” and then to play the sensitive ‘Walkin’ Man’. During the song he asks her if she feels comfortable “because now comes the romantic part” which is usually not much more than a short solo on his rickety guitar.
Sharon is clearly having a good time and is escorted back to her spot in the hall afterwards. She has a blush on her cheeks and Steve plays ‘Sun On My Face’, which actually shows his sensitive side as an acoustic blues ballad.
The audience once again got what they came for and Seasick Steve thanks Utrecht for the enthusiasm. When he then starts the cool ‘Thunderbird’ with Dan, he goes back fifteen years and, even with the release of a new album, it appears that very little has changed.
