Tour Diary – Los Angeles, CA (June 17, 2014)

Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).

by Jason Lent

As Joseph Conrad wrote, we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness. Such is the feeling as you crawl along rivers of metal and concrete towards the center of Los Angeles. Our intended landing on this river was the Coronet Theater, a quirky old room that once housed experimental productions including the world premier of Marxist poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht's 1947 work Galileo Galilei. It straddles the line between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood with an imposing mall standing watch over the area and plenty of adult film clothiers lining the street.

The tiny theater's courtyard offered a respite from the onslaught of consumption that is Los Angeles. A DJ spun vinyl records outside as new friends made during this Southern California tour shared beers one last time. Inside, the room proved a somewhat difficult listening experience with the PA sitting on the sides of the stage offering no center fill for live bands. The music hit you from the sides almost like you were listening through headphones held away from your head. In such a room, the softer material worked best and the band offered plenty of highlights.

With two shows, the clock is always ticking and the first show maintained a brisk pace. The band seemed to dig in and stay focused throughout with Mike providing some of his best guitar work on this tour including a blistering solo on "Working On A Building". The second set felt more relaxed but the challenge of playing two shows back to back can be formidable. The band worked hard not to let the music slip and the audience helped them along. There is something about Cowboy Junkies in LA that seems to bring out a smart, appreciative audience and tonight was no exception. Choosing a highlight from two packed set lists would be difficult but a tender take on "Thousand Year Prayer" felt fitting in a city slowly paving every inch of this beautiful coast.