The Waterboys scored an instant knockout when they visited Stockholm on Tuesday evening as part of their Fisherman’s Blues Revue tour. On this tour, the band is also joined by former member Steve Wickham on fiddle, as well as Roar Øien on pedal steel. The concert was divided into two halves. After the interval, Steve Earle also joined them—a collaboration that proved to be a winning concept.
Right as the band takes the stage, Mike Scott and company kick off with “Don’t Bang The Drum”. They seem fired up, and the energy is so intense that sparks are practically flying from Mike Scott’s guitar. Brother Paul dances and practically bounces up and down behind his Hammond organ. Mike Scott mentions that we might be wondering why they’re opening with a song that isn’t on Fisherman’s Blues, but assures us that we will hear both those songs and plenty of others, as it’s going to be a long night. However, it takes until the sixth song before they play anything from Fisherman’s Blues, starting with “We Will Not Be Lovers”. Before that, we get to hear “Glastonbury Song” and “How Long Will I Love You”, featuring lovely pedal steel by Roar Øien. Mike Scott introduces him as the band’s new member from Trondheim.
On “A Girl Called Johnny”, Mike Scott takes a seat behind the piano while the charismatic Brother Paul plays keytar. He moves all over the stage while playing, which is incredibly entertaining. They continue with “The Whole Of The Moon”—what a treasure trove of songs they possess!
Then it’s time for Steve Wickham to step onto the stage to massive cheers from the crowd. Many have missed him in the band since he left in 2021. Dare we hope for a permanent return? In any case, we get to enjoy his violin playing on this fantastic concert evening. After “We Will Not Be Lovers”, we hear “The Pan Within”. Mike Scott on a twelve-string acoustic guitar and Wickham on fiddle stand center stage before launching into the traditional Scottish song “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy”—clearly a fan favorite. They close out the first half of the concert with four consecutive tracks from Fisherman’s Blues: first Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” with elements of “Blackbird”, followed by “Strange Boat”, “Dunford’s Fancy”, and “The Stolen Child”, where Colin Blakey plays various flutes behind Mike Scott at the piano.
After a well-deserved break for the hard-working band, things take a completely different turn. They bring the legendary Steve Earle onto the stage. When he launches into “Copperhead Road” backed by The Waterboys, I can hardly believe my ears—it’s just that good. What incredible musical support Steve Earle receives. Before performing his big breakthrough track “Guitar Town”, he shares that he first played it the very first time he performed in Stockholm, at the Hard Rock Café in 1987.
Next comes the delicate “My Old Friend The Blues”, followed by one of my personal favorites, “I Ain’t Ever Satisfied”. Steve Earle mentions that he has been working on a musical for the past six years, so he hasn’t written much other music lately. He goes on to say that he has only ever had one other job (besides music): “I hammered nails.” In San Antonio, Texas, he worked alongside many people from across the Mexican border. This leads into “Volver A Celaya”, a song he recently released with Los Lobos. Steve Earle and Mike Scott also co-wrote the track “Kansas” for The Waterboys’ latest album, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper.
They then continue with a couple more tracks from Fisherman’s Blues: “When Ye Go Away” and “When Will We Be Married”. After that comes what Mike Scott introduces as “a song from an album by a Rhythm & Blues band from South London.” He bought the album himself in 1971, and you could pull down the zipper on the cover. He was, of course, talking about Sticky Fingers, and the song where Scott and Earle share vocals is “Dead Flowers”. What a wonderful moment this is; time somehow stands still.
Another track from Fisherman’s Blues is the lovely “Has Anybody Seen Hank”, which Mike Scott sings beautifully with his usual deep emotion and expression. Steve Earle joins Scott on vocals for “Light Shine On Me”, taken from the recently released Atlantic Rain: The Lost Fisherman’s Blues Recordings. They close out the main set with “And A Bang On The Ear”, also from Fisherman’s Blues. Mike Scott was right—it was a long night, and they actually managed to play most of the tracks from that legendary album.
The audience goes wild as the band leaves the stage, leading to a well-deserved encore. Steve Earle starts off with his “The Galway Girl”—a song that suits The Waterboys perfectly, though it seems like practically anything suits these incredible musicians. James Hallawell plays keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals, while Aongus Ralston on bass forms a rock-solid rhythm section with Eamon Ferris on drums. The other musicians I have already mentioned. After “The Galway Girl”, it finally comes: “Fisherman’s Blues”. The entire crowd is on their feet, cheering and dancing. It feels fitting when they all finish with “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” before all the musicians line up at the front edge of the stage to take in the audience’s ovation. As they march off, Steve Earle shouts: “I’M A F#%&¤NG WATERBOY!”
What a concert this was, filled with smiles from a band and musicians who truly seemed to love being on stage in front of a sold-out Filadelfia Convention Center. By the way, why is Philadelphia spelled with an F? Mike Scott wondered at the beginning of the concert. What a night—I am still on a high as I write these lines a day after the show.