Childers at the BJCC

My favorite artist of all time is Tyler Childers. He stole my heart several years ago with songs like "Pray Over the Moonshine Still," "Whitehouse Road," and "Follow You to Virgie." His distinct, undeniable Appalachian sound  reminds me of summer nights when Papaw and his friends used to pick n' grin on Mamaw's front porch after a long day's work. His voice is as smooth as rot gut whiskey, and it's rasp tells the story of the places he's been.

The last concert that I attended before the statewide lockdowns during the pandemic was a Sturgill Simpson concert featuring none other than Tyler Childers at Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC). I did not appreciate Simpson's music back then like I do now. I only went for Childers, and I wasn't alone. A lot of us walked out after Childers' performance was finished. As we were leaving, Simpson said, "There goes all the Yeti cups," as if that was supposed to be an insult (but we love our Stanleys now).

Tyler Childers on stage at the BJCC for Sturgill Simpson's "Good Lookn'" Tour, 02/22/20

Like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers has not stirred clear of cultural issues. He released an album dedicated to the struggle for racial justice, and titled it "Long Violent History," in 2020, after the historic Summer of Racial Reckoning. Though the album was not well-received by some of his people, Childers rightly estimated that his people, Appalachians, would react in the same way that many black protesters had, when they faced the most personal kinds of injustice. The album (or especially the track named after it) is perfect for a history lesson about The Battle of Blair Mountain. I intend on using it in the future.

He later released an album of semi-religious songs, with a cover that had to be designed with the intentions of immediately sending me back to my childhood in a sweaty Baptist revival, holding a redback hymnal and singing "Keep on the Firing Line." The album titled "Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?" featured songs like "Old Country Church" and "Way of the Triune God," which was an anthem for a faith informed by experience, not intellect.

But Childers' love songs are what most people love the most. And ballads like "Shake the Frost," "Lady May," "Country Squire," and "All Your'n" even described my head-over-heels crazy love for my husband. Although they featured a man singing to a woman, some of them were gender neutral. Then, last summer, he released a same-sex love song which sent a lot of his fans reeling. I have played "In Your Love" at least a million times since.

At Christmas, Austin surprised me with tickets to his 2024 Mule Pull Tour, once again at the BJCC. I've been ecstatic about it ever since. It had been four years since I last saw Childers live, and social media hinted that his fanbase had transformed since then. But last night, it looked like the same folks to me. And Childers did not disappoint. He sung all of his more popular songs, and I knew all the words (sorry, folks seated next to me).

Tyler Childers on stage at the BJCC for his Mule Pull Tour, 04/15/24

I was worried about the reaction that he would receive from "In Your Love," ever since I noticed it on the Set List on Apple Music. This was Birmingham, Alabama, after all. And while my husband and I can walk down the street holding hands undisturbed, I recalled all of the culture war backlash over the song. Some fans even pretended to disown him for a few minutes. So, when the band struck the first chord of it, my heart sank to the floor. Then, the crowd erupted in cheers for the song. And I felt overwhelmingly loved.

I'm happy to report that it was the best concert I have been to in a long time. So, Riley Green and Morgan Wallen have big shoes to fill at the end of the week. Rock on, y'all.