Joined by his long-running five-piece band The Dukes, Earle hit the stage kicking off his Guy Clark tribute with the classic âDublin Blues,â receiving exuberant cheers at the opening line âWish I was in Austin.â Earle immediately went into âTexas 1947,â featuring the expert pedal steel work of Ricky Ray Jackson. After sharing a short story about how he met Guy Clark while hitchhiking around Texas, the band performed the ode to the Hill Country honky-tonkinâ queen âRita Ballou,â featuring Eleanor Whitmore on violin. Following a tale about Clarkâs loyalty to Texas BBQ over Tennessee style BBQ, Joe Ely joined Earle on stage to perform âDesperadoes Waiting For a Trainâ â two Texas music legends trading verses on one of the stateâs most influential songs.
