I made my first visit to Sammons Park Patio Sessions yesterday to hear favorite Dallas songwriter, Doug Burr. I decided I wanted to walk, since I’d been sitting at a desk all day. So, armed with a water bottle and sun hat, I began the trek down McKinney Avenue. The walk turned out to be pretty pleasant, given the fact that it started to pour rain. It’s been so hot, I didn’t mind the rain. I arrived to find the AT&T staff sheltering themselves under the opera house, waiting for the rain to subside. Eventually, the tarps came off of the equipment, and Burr began to play. It was a very pleasant evening there in the shade, and a really great spot to hear music.
Burr began by playing songs from the highly acclaimed On Promenade album. Like all of his music, it’s very finely crafted. His songs always pack a bit of surprise – beautiful tunes with darker lyrics. The song “Graniteville,” for instance is a lullaby, but the lyrics describe a well known train wreck and chemical spill. The song is tragic, haunting and beautiful. Burr also sang the lyrical “In the Garden” and as “Slow Southern Home.”
Burr performed all of the songs from his recent release, O Ye Devastator. I was struck by the irony of having children play all around as I listened to “Police Chief of Chicago,” about the idea of a criminal gene that can be detected, and “Suspect All of Your Life.” I sat and looked up at the beautiful red glass on the Winspear as the artist sang the lovely song “Red Red.” Doug sang a few of the songs from The Shawl, his collection of Psalms set to music and closed with a song from The Sickle and the Sheaves, “Meet you in the Sunrise,” a lovely hymnic anthem. The two hour set was the perfect way to spend the evening.
The Sammons Park patio is a very comfortable set up. They set up camp chairs in the grass, and others brought blankets. There are also concrete steps to sit on. There was a pretty large group there, celebrating a birthday. In addition, people arriving early for the Natalie Merchant show sat on the patio and had a wine or beer, and listened to the free show outside. The AT&T Performing Arts Center should be commended for this series of concerts featuring local artists. Actually, I was struck by how much more I was enjoying original live music, performed out doors, than I would be inside the lovely Winspear. The concerts are a great exposure for the artists and a treat for people willing to sit outdoors in the summer and listen to original music.
(Image: The cover of Doug Burr’s On Promenade)
