Lucero Tickets

Loved that Lucero opened for themselves! First time I enjoyed the opening act as much as the headliner!!

They are just as good live as they are recorded. There was no opening act so Lucero played an acoustic set, intermission, then an electric set. So fantastic. Stand up bass and accordion included. I brought a friend with me who wasn't familiar with their music and he absolutely loved the show.

“I ain’t talking as much as last night. Just shut up and play the songs.” And that’s just what Lucero did for the third and last night at the Bowery Ballroom of their By the Seat of Our Pants Tour. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a lot of fun had by all. Brian Venable (guitar) and Ben Nichols (vocals/guitar) kept teasing each other on stage. Brian had Ben laughing during songs. And they kept playing with each other’s pedals – Scott Thompson (trumpet) got involved at one point. People were buying shots for Ben so by the second half of the second set he was forgetting lyrics. He had to call out for the second line of “She Wakes When She Dreams” and he couldn’t remember the title of “Fistful of Tears.” One woman threw her bra onstage and it bounced off Ben and onto the floor. He later picked up and handled it for a bit before depositing the bra on Brian’s amp. This show was sold-out so the club was very crowded and loud. Definitely a less rowdy crowd than the first night but just as dedicated. They sang along with every song, as always. Once again Ben’s lyrics and voice just slayed me. How does he see inside my soul and know exactly how I feel? Sometimes it seems he’s playing for himself as much as for us. He said he got one request for “Here at the Starlite” and he was going to play it for himself. I love being up close enough to watch his face play out the lyrics – especially during “Nights Like These,” when he always seems to be trying to wash the taste out of his mouth as he sings the line “beer tastes like blood.” Night after night it’s as if he’s feeling it all over again. Brian played brilliantly as did Roy Berry (drums), John C Stubblefield (bass), and Rick Steff (keyboards/accordion) on both the acoustic and electric sets. It’s so cool hearing and watching John C play the upright bass and Roy play on half a kit. Rick kills on the keyboards and Brian was gentle during the acoustic set and shredded for the electric set. For the electric set Scott and Art Anderson (saxophone) joined the band and the horn section, as always, adds so much depth to the band. John C jumped into the audience again for “Tears Don’t Matter Much.” I’d have a photo of it but I was having too much fun watching him play. During the break I ran into Ben at the bar and I gathered up my courage and told him how much I’d enjoyed all three nights and asked him to play “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?” He said he would and he kept his promise. Ben and then John C left NYC with some lovely words – “Let’s hear it again for the Bowery Ballroom. I’d rather play three nights here than one night anywhere else.” “NYC, Lucero loves you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Yesterday I was nervous and sober. Tonight I’m relaxed and drunk. I don’t think either works.” Night two of Lucero’s three-night stint at the Bowery Ballroom for their By the Seat of Our Pants Tour was a throwback to the old days when Ben Nichols (vocals/guitar) would get so drunk that there would be lots of “awkward of me talking parts” and songs started and re-started because Ben wasn’t ready or chords left unstrummed or verses left unsung because he’d forgotten the words. The crowd ate it up. At one point John C Stubblefield (bass) asked for batteries and everything had to come to stop. Ben was making fun of John C’s pronunciation (bat-trees) and wasn’t paying attention – “We’ll have to start this over again because John C finished with his bat-trees too quick and I was squatting and honking loogies and drinking whiskey when Roy [Berry (drums)] started the song.” Even before the drunken electric set, Ben had us laughing when during the acoustic set (almost the same as the night before) Ben said that Brian Venable (guitar) told him that he would lose the set list and he did. And Brian told Ben to take a photo of it and he did and now he was using the photo. Probably the funniest line of the night was when Ben told us, “If you have tickets for tomorrow night, I’d probably sell them.” He tried to promise that he wouldn’t be as drunk the next night but then realized it was a promise he couldn’t keep. At the end Ben hugged Brian in a kind of apology for the way the night had gone. And Brian indicated to Ben that he was watching him during the last song. Before the show a woman came by to check out how I’d gotten a table (thanks again Kenny!) and she recognized my name from my review of the first night and she and her brother (a first timer) hung out for a bit. It’s nice that the Lucero can bring people together so easily. Once again the band blew me away with their musicianship. Rick Steff (keyboards/accordion) is always brilliant, as is the horn section – Scott Thompson (trumpet) and Art Anderson (saxophone). Brian made the electric guitar work perfectly during the acoustic section and Roy always look like he barely touching the drums, yet he gets so much power out of them. John C was wonderful on both upright and electric bass. I love watching him play. There was no encore because Ben wanted to fit in as many requests as possible so he didn’t want to take the break.

“Lucero opening for Lucero is a lot of f-ing Lucero,” said Ben Nichols (vocals/guitar) during the second/electric set of Lucero’s first night of their By the Seat of Our Pants Tour. Lucero is playing three nights in NYC, three nights in Boston, three in Los Angeles, and three in San Francisco. They play two sets – one acoustic and then an electric set. violaleeblue and I met at Pala on Allen Street for pizza before the show. If you’re in the area, it’s a delicious place for dinner. Once again, Kenny had scored us a table. Thank you, Kenny. On our way into the club, I saw Ben, Brian Venable (guitar), and Roy Berry (drums) smoking cigarettes outside. Ben and Brian walked ahead of us inside and then hung out in the bar for a while. I had several opportunities to say something – anything – but I lacked courage (liquid or otherwise) and was too shy to speak. Ben was obviously nervous and scared during the acoustic set and it was adorable. After all the nights they’ve played, he was acting as if it was one of his first times on stage. The nervousness came through on the Ben’s singing and his fear of deviating from the set list. Brian had teased us with photos of a mandolin online during rehearsals but he never brought it out during the acoustic set. Rick Steff (keyboards/accordion) wasn’t playing the upright piano we were promised. But both played brilliantly. John C. Stubblefield (bass) wowed on the upright bass with both his bowing and plucking. Roy was incredibly light and powerful on half a kit. It looked like Ben had a new acoustic guitar. During the 20-minute break Ben said he was going to smoke a cigarette. On his way back in several people bought him drinks. He had said earlier that in the old days when they had played the Bowery Ballroom they were much wilder but now they’ve mellowed out. Well, it wasn’t the old days but the whiskey kicked in about halfway into their second set and Ben was forgetting lyrics and hitting himself in the head like the old days. There were long discussions with the crowd as to what to play next and whether a song would be played that night or one of the other nights. The people in the crowd were the wild ones, though. The electricity went through everyone when they opened their second set. One guy up front offered Ben $100, which Ben put in his pocket for safekeeping. Not sure if that guy ever got his money back. And during “Tears Don’t Matter Much,” John C joined the crowd on the floor, which really excited everyone. For their electric set, Scott Thompson (trumpet) and Art Anderson (saxophone) [I think that’s his name] joined the band on stage. Anderson did a lovely little solo during “It Gets the Worst at Night.” Both John C and Ben looked over approvingly when Anderson played. During his solo set with Rick, Ben kept calling out songs for Rick to play on the accordion. One was Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” but Rick thought it was Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” because Ben has that on his iPod. I love that Ben has Fleetwood Mac on his iPod. It was a three-hour evening that just flew by. I can’t wait for the next two nights.

The show was amazing! Can't wait to see them again.

Lucero sounds okay live, but their energy is completely lacking, and the crowd was sold out to a lot of uninteresting people who also lacked enthusiasm. Rick Steff steals the show with his supreme talent and charisma, but would never go out of my way to bother seeing them again.

Once again lucero has toured through Boston and rocked the place wild!

I did not enjoy the opening act all that much but Lucero was amazing. This is my 2nd concert of theirs and it is always great. They have a loyal following and really good songs. Personally I think their music is better live than off the album.

We will never forget this concert for the rest of our days.

Lucero put on another absolutely amazing show! The Bluebird is a great venue to see bands like Lucero. The opening band, Houndmouth, did a great job and is definitely a band worth checking out!

2 solid hours of rock n roll, country, and punk influenced Memphis music.

Absolutely a perfect venue for Lucero: pretty intimate, lots of interaction. They rocked every song. I will see them WHENEVER and WHEREVER I can! <3

Lucero is an expert at what it does, and that is rock out in mid-size venues. They always sound great, the fanbase is dedicated, and have never disappointed me with a live show. Really, cannot say enough about this band. They rocked the masquerade, and will rock anyplace you see them. They also choose good - if little known - openers.

IT WAS A VERY GOOD SHOW....NEVER SAW THEM LIVE BEFORE AND I WAS THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED....I WILL GO SEE THEM AGAIN. ABSOLUTE BLAST!!

Seen them several times and they never disappoint.

If you have never seen Lucero, RUN, do not walk, to get tix to the next show. A must-see band. Top 10.

It was an amazing show. One, if not, The best show I've ever been to.

This was my first Lucero show, and the boys did not disappoint. The crowd was pretty cool; I talked to some people a bit. Crowd got a little rowdy at the end, I'd say appropriately rowdy given the atmosphere. The band sounds just like they do on the cds, and they're definitely having fun on stage. They played a lot of the latest album (Women & Work at the time of the show) and a good mix of older tunes, including one or two off Ben's solo album. Ben and Brian were hanging around afterwards talking to fans. I'd definitely recommend!

The show was fast-paced, long, and filled with great music!