Steve Earle & the Dukes (& Duchesses) at Paramount Theater [Show Preview]

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Steve Earle & the Dukes (& Duchesses)
Thursday, July 7
Paramount Theater (713 Congress Avenue)
$35-50, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm
[info] | [tickets]

Since recasting himself as a folksinger (with a shelf of Grammys to prove it), Steve Earle has mostly toured solo the last several years. But he’s supporting his latest album I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive by reconvening his long-running band the Dukes, adding a couple of Duchesses as well. The tour hits the Paramount tonight, and not only does the redoubtable Earle have a quarter of a century’s worth of strong catalog to draw from, but that his new record is his strongest in years. So expect a litany of classic songs (including “This City,” his ode to New Orleans featured in the HBO series Treme) to emanate from the venerable stage for a couple of hours.

He’ll be assisted by his wife Allison Moorer, a fine singer and songwriter her own self, as well as former locals Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, setting up another classic Dukes lineup and giving himself the foundation for a great performance. And if you haven’t had enough Earle after this show, you can pick up his acclaimed new novel, also titled I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive, for another look into his fertile creative mind. There are good reasons Earle is nearing legendary status in the music industry, and tonight’s show should be one of the best.