Lucinda Williams live

Saw her in good form open a large venue for Neil Young, and rough and tired or lazy in a small theater as described by Bizango: forgetting lyrics and restarting songs with too many self-deprecating digressions. She's lucky to have a crackerjack band that balances her lack of varnish-- which after all is exactly what she is all about, and her core audience knows and loves this.

Notec, I have a higher opinion than you do of her recent studio albums, but I generally agree with you regarding her concert persona. There is a contradiction between the allegation of perfectionism and her self-deprecating monologues and false starts that reveal the seams in the fabric in concert. She represents her touring as a work in progress, and invites the audience to share and identify with her flaws perhaps even more than her strengths. In this sense her persona is not so different from what drew the simpler audiences of the past to identify with country music stars as everyday people. The difference these days is that the audience is more gentrified, though perhaps no less gullible.

BTW, a similar cult of personality follows Billy Bragg's ego in concert.

After an evening alternating between the LP and CD versions of Blessed, it's clear that this is Lucinda at the top and an extraordinary album by any measure.

This is also perhaps the best ever Don Was production.