It took a global pandemic to bring the music of South African born and (at the time, Toronto, ON-based) alt-country artist Orville Peck to our attention – whose 2020 hit tune “Summertime” found heavy rotation on SiriusXM Radio, putting smiles on our faces each time it burst from the speakers during those early dark days of summer. Completely unknown to us, just who was this enigmatic country crooner with the incredible baritone, and why did he conceal his identity behind a fringed leather mask? So much intrigue, so much speculation – Orville Peck had landed on our radar, and we’ve remained huge fans of this (now) Los Angeles-based artist ever since.
Rewind the clock back to last year, and with two studio albums and an EP under his belt, news of Orville Peck’s planned North American tour travelled fast, and we considered one of his shows scheduled here in central PA during the summer. But alas, it was not meant to be, as Orville promptly postponed the full tour due to mental health concerns, taking the much-needed time to seek the treatment and rest that his body and mind demanded. “Next time, Orville, get yourself better…”
Recuperated and raring to go, Orville burst back into the spotlight earlier this year with a huge announcement – the “Bronco” tour would continue – and would be rebranded as the “Stampede” tour to coincide with his new album of duets (which dropped last Friday). Looking at the list of cities on his extensive tour, Peck was penciled in once more for a visit here to central PA, performing on a late July evening at Riverfront Park as part of the Harrisburg University Presents summer concert series. There was no chance we were going to miss this opportunity.
Greeted by an incredibly diverse and welcoming audience congregated along the banks of the Susquehanna River in our state capital, Peck and his band rewarded us with a stunning selection of tunes from his musical catalogue, offering up a 20-track setlist that clocked in at around 100 minutes. Opening with a handful of cuts from his 2019 debut “Pony” album, Peck delivered both “Big Sky” and “Turn to Hate” before pausing for his first lengthy address. “My name is Orville Peck, and this is my lovely band. We’re very excited to be here, thank you all for coming,” he shared. “It’s so beautiful. The beautiful river. The beautiful night’s sky.”
Leading into “Roses Are Falling,” Peck would continue his address to the crowd. “The next one is a good one to dance with somebody to,” he offered. “If there’s somebody that you came with that you love, ask them to dance. And if there isn’t anybody you came with, you might want to ask someone to dance too.” Progressing to his 2020 “Show Pony” EP material, while we remained ever hopeful that “Summertime” would make the cut (sadly, it did not), Orville would offer up “Drive Me, Crazy” (dedicated to “Jim” – a truck driver in the audience – you had to be there) and the outstanding spaghetti western sounding “No Glory in the West” (itself, the first of Orville’s tunes featured here on our pages).
Considering this to be the ‘take two’ version of the sidelined “Bronco” tour, ten cuts from this album would be shared throughout the show. Peck cranked out some amazing renditions of “C’mon Baby, Cry,” “Hexie Mountains,” and the radio hit “Outta Time,” but not before asking his audience to follow three simple rules for maximum enjoyment. “The first rule is that you have to sing along, even if you don’t know the words because that’s funny for us,” he shared, before yielding to a chuckle of his own. “Second rule, if you are able, and you feel like it, please safely dance along because we really like it. And then the third rule is pretty serious, actually; if at any point you feel like crying, you have to cry. Can we follow those three simple rules? Fabulous.”
With a brief sojourn into his latest “Stampede” album material, Peck performed his recent single “How Far Will We Take It?” (band mate Emily Rose fulfilling beautifully the vocal duties performed originally by Noah Cyrus), “The Hurtin’ Kind,” and “Conquer The Heart” – the album version recorded with Nathaniel Rateliff. Of course, while Peck collaborated with Canadian country icon Shania Twain on “Legends Never Die” (from “Show Pony”), this new creative experiment is clearly a logical choice for Peck and his musical journey. “It’s a long tradition in country to do duets and have sort of duos,” he shared recently in an interview with Maria Sherman (Associated Press). “You know, I think of Johnny Cash and June Carter, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.”
Orville’s visit to the PA capital coincided with another annual event, which the artist was happy to tie into a discussion about the origins of his “Stampede” album. “Okay, someone told us it was PRIDE here yesterday, is that true?” he asked. “Oh my god! Amazing, happy PRIDE. The whole reason I decided to do a duets album is because somebody asked me to do a duet. He’s this old guy from Texas…” Pausing as the crowd hollered and applauded, he would continue, “Willie Nelson, that’s his name. And not only did Willie Nelson want to do a song with me, he wanted to do a song about gay cowboys. Which, unless you haven’t been paying attention, is very on brand for me, because I’m … a … gay cowboy.” Peck would pause briefly again, before lightheartedly punking the crowd: “So, please welcome to the stage, Mr. … I’m sorry, I’m just kidding, he’s on tour, and he’s 91 and on tour, that is amazing. Mr. Willie Nelson is not here tonight, but he is here in spirit. Happy PRIDE everybody.”
Closing the show with a fabulous trifecta of tunes – “Kalahari Down” (dedicated to all those who live ‘here’ but have a place elsewhere called ‘home’), the breakthrough hit “Dead of Night,” and “Daytona Sand” – Peck would of course heed to the calls for one more song. Returning to the stage donning his fully fringed mask (in lieu of his current Lone Ranger style covering), it would be “Bronco” as the song of choice to send everybody home. This was a fabulous night of entertainment from one of the hottest – yet unconventional – country artists out there today – but don’t just take my word for it. Bumping into a co-worker (and her mother) at the show, she told me at the time of ‘being intrigued, but not knowing what to expect’ – and a few days later, stating, ‘it was awesome, he’s so good … and my mom loved him.’
Set List:
- Big Sky
- Turn To Hate
- Roses Are Falling
- The Hurtin’ Kind
- C’mon Baby, Cry
- No Glory In The West
- Hexie Mountains
- How Far Will We Take It?
- Conquer The Heart
- Drive Me, Crazy
- Blush
- The Curse Of The Blackened Eye
- Lafayette
- Any Turn
- Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond Of Each Other
- Outta Time
- Kalahari Down
- Dead Of Night
- Daytona Sand
Encore:
- Bronco
Photo Credit: Tour Poster / HU Presents Official Website
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
