Indianapolis, IN. – What a lovely night for a concert; the weather could not have been any better. Low humidity. Light Breeze. Warm Sun – damn near perfect! It was PRIDE weekend in Indianapolis and this show was an extension of the all the celebrations going on around our beautiful city. Orville Peck was in town for the Stampede Tour and he brought along Debbii Dawson and Durand Jones to help him celebrate at Holliday Park, home of Forty5 Presents Rock the Ruins.
I must admit, this was my first time seeing Orville Peck. I knew he was the masked cowboy but wasn’t familiar with his music and didn’t quite know what to expect. I was sharing the evening with my brother who was a big fan so that was a bonus for me. As I made my way around the venue, speaking with several people in the crowd, the consensus was all the same…EVERYONE was excited to see Orville! It had been a little while since Orville had been to town. He was scheduled to come to Indy in 2023 but the date was later cancelled (the whole tour actually) due to mental health struggles Orville was having. During his set, he talked about the importance of taking care of one’s self and addressing mental health before it gets too heavy. He was grateful to his fans for understanding and supporting him during those challenging times. He was glad to be back.
Kicking the night off was newcomer Debbii Dawson. Wearing silver boots, shorts and a Orville Peck T-shirt, Debbii welcomed the crowd showcasing tunes of her latest EP How To Be Human (which comes out June 28th via Sony Music Entertainment). She expressed how thankful she was to Orville for bringing her out for her FIRST tour and told us stories about her music. (Side Note: America got their first glimpse of Debbii on Season 17 of America’s Got Talent). She gained cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd as she made her way to the merch table in-between sets to sign autographs and greet fans.
Next up was Durand Jones. Durand, originally from Louisiana, made his way to Bloomington, IN to do his post graduate studies for classical saxophone at Indiana University. While at IU, he helped form the band Durand Jones & The Indications in 2012 and the band has recorded three albums to date. In May 2023, Durand released his first solo record, Wait Til I Get Over (out now via Dead Oceans). The album chronicles the history of Jones’ hometown of Hillaryville, Louisiana and the Indianapolis crowd was treated to songs off the album.
DEBBII DAWSON: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE
DURAND JONES: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X
It was finally time for Daniel Pitout, professionally known as Orville Peck, to take the stage. Walking out to a standing ovation Orville had nothing but smiles (and roses) for the crowd. Introducing himself in a true “Johnny Cash fashion”, Orville and his band showcased songs from his debut album Pony, 2022’s Bronco, along with highlighting his latest extended play, Stampede Vol. 1 (which came out May 2024 via Warner Records). In-between songs, Orville chatted with members of the crowd and treated some lucky fans to a single red rose. I’d say he gave out at least a dozen long-stemmed red roses if not more.
I was not prepared for Orville’s voice. No one had hipped me to this deep-voice crooner. Shame on me for not listening to his music before coming to the show; I left a fan. I have an appreciation of traditional country music having been raised on Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline and Dolly (to name just a few) – Orville is every bit of that true country sound. It’s good to know there are still musicians out there keeping it alive and well.
ALL PHOTOS BY: ©PIX MEYERS
ORVILLE PECK: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE
SETLIST:
- Big Sky
- The Hurtin’ Kind
- Roses Are Falling
- Conquer the Heart
- Turn to Hate
- No Glory in the West
- Hexie Mountains
- How Far Will We Take It?
- C’mon Baby, Cry
- Drive Me, Crazy
- Blush
- The Curse of the Blackened Eye
- Lafayette
- Any Turn
- Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other (Willie Nelson Cover)
- Outta Time
- Kalahari Down
- Dead of Night
- Daytona Sand
Encore:
- Bronco
- Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (Elton John Cover)
Orville Peck and his band continue on the Stampede Tour through October in the U.S. and Canada. He also has his SIXTH ANNUAL RODEO coming up in August in Nashville, TN. at The Basement East (23rd), Ascend Amphitheater (24th), and Brooklyn Bowl Nashville (25th) and features Orville, Tanya Tucker, Medium Build, Mickey Guyton, Reyna Roberts and so many more. Tickets went on sale (today) June 12th – Grab ’em quick if you plan to make any of the dates as they are sure to sell out! Click HERE for more details.
SHOW DATE: 06.09.24
