Review courtesy of Dusty Wakeman (Mojave Mics)
Photos by Brian Bowen Smith
Forty years after the release show for his debut EP at the Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip, country star Dwight Yoakam returned to deliver a blazing set. The difference this time is that it was a benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Yoakam was accompanied by his accomplished band, and he was joined by some of today’s best and brightest: Charley Crockett, Lukas Nelson, Marcus King, Shooter Jennings and Grace Potter.
The set list featured songs from across his vast catalog, including "Honky Tonk Man," "Guitars, Cadillacs," and "I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)" (the latter from his most recent album, Brighter Days, with Grace Potter joining in).
Charley Crockett came out early to take Buck Owen’s part on "Streets of Bakersfield," and returned later to sing his own "Good at Losing," in the process earning high praise from Yoakam.
Lukas Nelson joined in for the Dave Alvin-penned "Long White Cadillac," and then performed his dad’s (Willie Nelson's) "Bloody Mary Morning."
Shooter Jennings and Dwight performed a medley of the Warren Zevon classics "Carmelita" and "Good Time Charlies Got the Blues,” which Yoakam recorded on his Under the Covers LP, and Marcus King came out to rock on "Fast As You."
A non-musical highlight of the evening was a Facetime call from actor Billy Bob Thornton, who was scheduled to perform but was stuck in a hotel room on New Jersey filming a movie, delayed by the Winter weather. While Yoakam held his phone to his microphone, Thornton promised to appear next year in what Yoakam plans to make an annual event.
Yoakam and his wife Emily thanked the crowd, who paid premium prices to support the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He recalled a health scare with the couple’s three-month-old baby at the height of COVID, which led to a long night at CHLA. Their son, now five, received a clean bill of health but the experience created a lasting bond with the hospital for the Yoakams.
