Orville Peck’s stampede thundered into Arizona this week for a two-stepping good time at Mesa Amphitheatre. Guests at the rodeo arrived in their best boots and tassels to sway along with the country crooner as he returned to the road after a well-deserved break from touring. With support from Emily Nenni and Nikki Lane, it was an amazing evening under the stars.
A glittering white dress and spotless red cowboy boots adorned Emily Nenni as she took the stage. Backed by Teddy and the Rough Riders, the California native brought her own sweet-as-pie sound to her sunset performance. Her songs addressed everything from love and longing to her favorite activity- crying in the car. The early crowd lounged on the grassy steps of the amphitheatre but still showed plenty of love for the entirety of Nenni’s charming set.
Supporting act Nikki Lane brought a little more grit to this hoedown in her glittering hat and devil-may-care attitude. Armed with her acoustic guitar, she swaggered up and down the stage and won over anyone new to her show. By the time her setlist hit “All or Nothin’” and “Denim & Diamonds”, that glittery hat found itself flung into the audience and Lane finished strong with “Jackpot”.
The night was still very young when Orville Peck and his stellar band moseyed onstage, but the audience was more than ready for his return to Arizona. Clad in his signature mask- sans tassels this time- and matching cowboy hats with his band, Peck was all smiles as he introduced his new and improved live show. The stage was decked out with massive spotlights and Peck’s name in neon- but all eyes were magnetically drawn to Peck.
He opened with “Big Sky” and a wave of goosebumps hit the crowd- a standard side effect of Peck’s velvet voice. HIs deep twang and effortless charisma has reached across fandom lines and pulled in fans that may have never explored the genre before. None of that mattered when Peck started crooning away on “No Glory in the West” and “Conquer the Heart”.
Midway through the evening, Peck took a seat behind his small stage piano in search of a career truck driver in the audience. Finding one in the pit, he dedicated his queer trucker anthem, “Drive Me, Crazy”, to that thrilled fan and got the now packed venue singing along. “Lafayette” was another sing along moment and Peck stomped up and down the stage to dance with his band and embody the joy his shows are known for.
Peck took only a few interludes throughout the show, but the most important one was dedicated to his explanation for his lengthy touring absence due to his struggles with mental health issues after his last album. He said with heartfelt sincerity that this break effectively saved his life and expressed gratitude for the fans for allowing him to take the break and still returning to the shows this time around. From the look in everyone’s eyes during this speech- and throughout the show- most Peck fans were ready to follow him into fire should he ask and they cheered exuberantly in reassurance.
The night started to wind down but not before a very special performance of his Willie Nelson duet cover of “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other”, a gay Western romp that had the venue chuckling and singing along. The main set came to a close with “Daytona Sand” but Peck didn’t make everyone wait long before coming back out for an encore. A haunting rendition of “Unchained Melody” brought the dancing audience to a mesmerized standstill before a final performance of “Bronco” properly ended the show.
Mesa Amphitheatre shows are required to end early but not one fan left the venue feeling like their night was cut short- Peck delivered a discography-spanning show as a perfect return to the road and Arizona welcomed him back as they’ll do for every show in the future.
