The things I would have done to go back and see one of these acoustic shows…
Before he was the outsider country superstar he is today, and right after releasing the record that got him there, Purgatory, Tyler Childers played a song we wouldn’t hear on an album for 2 years.
“Peace Of Mind” is the 7th track on his 2019 Country Squire album, and while the studio version is still pretty great, I was spoiled by finding a YouTube video of him playing it years earlier at a show in Indianapolis that just absolutely blows the album version out of the water.
Of course, I’m always a sucker for live acoustic performances, but the faster tempo and driving guitar take what was a waltzy meditation on life to a hard hitting, boot stomping call to action.
I don’t know what changed from November 2017 to August of 2019 that he decided to change the energy of the song, and hey, he’s Tyler Childers and I’m not, but man I wish it kept this energy all the way through.
At least we have this badass performance to remember what could have been…
But make no mistakes about it, I absolutely cannot wait for some new Childers music.
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for this man.