JACKSON, Wyo. — Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” played over the loudspeaker as artist Marcus King and his sideman, guitarist Drew Smithers, took the stage on Monday night at the Center Theater. With seven guitars, a tube amp and a microphone, the duo had obviously spent countless hours and hundreds of tour dates building chemistry together in The Marcus King Band. The sold out audience was ready to receive, having jumped at their opportunity for tickets early and selling out the 525-set venue in less than a day.
By the third song, “Beautiful Stranger”—off of King’s 2020 Dan Auerbach-produced and Grammy-nominated solo record, El Dorado—the duo had settled into a patient groove. A song that was rescued from a broken co-write session, “Delilah” off of 2024’s Mood Swings, is the type of soul-drenching delivery that showcases King’s vocal prowess. King then joked with the audience about having to create more side-stage seating after spending their night off at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, meeting and inviting new friends that couldn’t procure tickets.
To this point in the set, King, who is a revered and powerfully expressive blues-rock guitarist, had largely stayed in a rhythm guitar role on his trusty, warm-sounding Epiphone El Dorado. Smithers’ support role was perhaps overstated in the audience’s mix early in the set with skilled, punchy solos and melodic undertones while fingerpicking on a Gibson flattop and laying down single note bottleneck slide lines all over the neck of a National resonator. As the set progressed with a roadhouse version of Elmore James’ “The Sky is Crying,” so did King’s fiery solo work and Smithers’ craftiness with the slide. Instrumentally, Smithers and King could either duel their solos, double-up or harmonize them, which they ramped-up in the latter half of the set. When King picked up electric guitar and stayed on the low frequency strings while Smithers took the high-end detail work, the arrangements sonically flourished.
Other highlights included a stellar, Smithers-led version of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Little Martha,” the King penned “Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)” and “Wildflowers & Wine,” Tyler Childers’ “Shake the Frost,” a splendid take of Neil Young’s “Are You Ready for the Country,” and the first song of the encore—the 2019 single “Goodbye Carolina,” which really brought King’s songwriting strength and seasoned, smoky vocal delivery to its peak. For a 28-year-old artist, he’s been through heaps of loss and struggle. The latter tune was written from the perspective of a close friend who died by suicide, and one could feel that King “sent it,” going to a deeper spiritual place with the looming memory of his buddy.
Local touring artist Duane Betts was welcomed to stage for last couple songs to round out the trio of top-tier guitarists. The show closed with the audience singing along to a fun version of Dickey Betts’ “Ramblin’ Man,” with Duane aptly providing his father’s signature solo. Compared to a show experience with The Marcus King Band, the stripped back acoustic approach showcased King’s growth as a songwriter, and his ability to add deep soul to other artist’s material. The trio walked off to a standing ovation from the full house.
