Margo Price was equal parts Nashville polish and honky-tonk grit at Knuckleheads Friday
Margo Price. // photo by Allison Scavo
Margo Price
with Eliza Thorn
Knuckleheads
Friday, October 24
The air outside Knuckleheads carried that sharp October chill that makes you grateful for a crowded room. Inside, the lights were low, the rail yard hummed just beyond the walls, and Margo Price walked onstage like someone who owned the night but didn’t need to prove it. She opened with a slow burn “Just Don’t Give A Damn,” the kind of song that hits like a sermon wrapped in twang. The crowd, packed shoulder-to-shoulder and glowing with the easy warmth of longnecks and anticipation, came alive on the first chorus
Price’s voice, raspy and radiant, cut clean through the mix, equal parts Nashville polish and honky-tonk grit. She turned the place into a revival, her band locked tight and joyful. Guitar player Logan Ledger played Tyler Childers’ part in “Love Me Like You Used To,” and their energy, vocal harmonies, and camaraderie sparked a collective joy. When she came back for the encore, she didn’t waste any time, immediately kicking into “Maggie’s Farm” with the whole room singing along. By the final chorus, she was half-laughing, half-hollering, her band swinging like they never wanted it to end. Margo Price didn’t just play Knuckleheads last night, she was inaugurated as one of the legends to set it on fire and left it glowing long after she was gone.
Eliza Thorn. // photo by Allison Scavo
Coming in from Nashville, Eliza Thorn smiled before her first chord cut clean through the chatter and the whole stage lit up. Her songs drifted between heartbreak and glee, rooted in the kind of Americana that doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Thorn’s voice carried with unhurried strength: grit and honey, with just enough ache to make each lyric believable. Between songs, she talked about long drives, family, and how Kansas City still listens. She wasn’t wrong. The crowd gave her the attention she deserved; you could have heard a pin drop during her set. Kansas City rightfully understood the opener for Margo Price was not background noise, but that Eliza Thorn was more like punctuated excellence. I got to meet her after her set and she was just as sweet as a Georgia peach in June! I can’t recommend seeing her enough!
All photos by Allison Scavo
Margo Price
Margo Price setlist
I Just Don’t Give a Damn (George Jones cover)
Red Eye Flight
Wild at Heart
Tennessee Song
Don’t Wake Me Up
Love Me Like You Used To Do (with Logan Ledger)
Keep A Picture
Prelude {Hard Headed Woman}
Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down
Ooh Las Vegas (Gram Parsons cover) (with Eliza Thorn)
Loner
Four Years of Chances
Close to You
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man (Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn cover) (with Logan Ledger)
Nowhere Is Where
Kissing You Goodbye (Waylon Jennings cover)
All The Wine In California (with Logan Ledger on lead while Margo did a costume change)
Hurtin’ (on the Bottle)
Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan cover)
Eliza Thorn
