Watch Kurt Vile & Terry Allen Cover Townes Van Zandt In Santa Fe
Terry Allen, the cult-favorite outlaw country singer-songwriter, has been going through something of a renaissance lately. In recent months, Allen has shared the stage with luminaries like Wilco and David Byrne. Kurt Vile is a big fan, and Rolling Stone had Vile interview Allen in 2019. Last night, Vile and Allen shared a stage in Allen’s adapted hometown of Santa Fe.
At Santa Fe’s Railyard Park last night, Vile performed without his Violators but with Terry Allen and his backing band. Together, the two of them covered the late Townes Van Zandt’s classic 1978 song “Loretta.” They also took a crack at Vile’s own meditative 2018 song “Bassackwards,” and it’s a lot of fun to hear Vile going back and forth with the 79-year-old Allen on that one. Watch fan-made videos of those performances below.
And here’s Vile doing “Pretty Pimpin’” without Terry Allen but with a sign language interpreter.