3 Nights, 3 Shows, 3 States — Night 1: Why Steepwater matters

From fan stories in the parking lot to guitar heroics on stage, this night in St. Louis showed what makes the band a success

The Steepwater Band, from left, Eric Saylors, Jeff Massey, Joe Winters, and Joe Bishop.

The world needs more Steepwater Bands.

As much time as I’ve spent appreciating Steepwater since they came into my life two years ago, I’d been kind of missing the plot on them.

My focus was: How is this band not bigger? And, also: How have they not become frustrated and given up on it after more than 25 years?

Cousin Matt and I before the show.

Then my cousin Matt and I hung out with them for about an hour before their show at the Old Rock House in St. Louis on Thursday, May 15, to kick off the first leg of my 3 Nights, 3 Shows, 3 States tour ahead of my 51st birthday.

What I saw made it clear what keeps their fans AND the band coming back — the real connections they’ve built, city to city, stage to stage.

It’s far from the only part of the formula. If they weren’t the real deal musically, it wouldn’t matter how many people they talked to at shows — they wouldn’t keep coming back.

Both sides of the Steepwater guitar pick given to me by Steepwater fan and Illinois Drifter reader Brian. Thanks Brian!

There was Brian, who appeared in the parking lot — Steepwater Band drummer Joe Winters knew him by name immediately and gave him a hug. Brian, who had arrived on a flight from Chicago, was a great guy who later gave me a cool Steepwater Band guitar pick.

Then there was Larry and Tina. They’d driven two hours from southern Illinois despite Larry having gone through dialysis earlier in the day. I found out from talking to them after the show they’d gone on a Rock Legends cruise that included several big-name bands, but Larry and Tina were there specifically to see Steepwater.

Later, Winters told me other similar stories of people traveling long distances to see them. After the show, I watched Winters and fellow band members Jeff Massey, Eric Saylors and Joe Bishop move from person to person, giving time to every one who approached. Think about all the cities Steepwater plays all over the world every year, and you start to see the formula.

Would the Steepwater guys like to have more fans and be playing arenas? Yes. But to say they’re not “successful” is a narrow (and shitty) way to define success.

Matt, Jeff Massey and me.

Artists like Steepwater make the live music scene more vibrant. They’re not the only ones out there doing it, but it does feel like there aren’t enough Steepwaters — bands that give it everything night after night, and make time for the people who come out to see them.

AND, there aren’t enough venues for bands like Steepwater. I read stories all the time about how smaller live music venues are dying and all that we’re going to be left with is arena/stadium acts.

That’s why it’s so vital that when you do find your Steepwater, you support them and tell your friends about them.

Here’s how Night 1 set the tone. Thanks to Matt for joining me and concert friend Bill and his girlfriend Jenny for meeting up!

The Old Rock House in St. Louis.

VENUE: Old Rock House, St. Louis. This was my first time at the venue — it’s a very cool place. It’s a bit narrow, which filters sound to the back. There’s plenty of room in front of the stage and seating along the walls.

MERCH: I have most of the merch Steepwater sells — they do a good job of always having plenty of vinyl, T-shirts and stickers. Matt went home with a Steepwater shirt, and I saw several people getting their vinyl and posters signed after the show.

Our spot — the extreme Joe Bishop side!

VIEWING SPOT: At first we chose a spot that was a little farther from the stage but with a center view. We changed our minds and picked a table in the front right corner — we ended up trading sound quality for a more intimate viewing experience.

CROWD: It wasn’t a huge crowd, but it was solid and those who were there were very into the show. Kind of Steepwater’s fandom in a nutshell.

Opener Mister Malone at The Rock House.

OPENER: Mister Malone was a three-piece featuring a dad playing bass and his two sons on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively. They were tight and had original material that had a '90s rock sound. I was most impressed that they stuck around for Steepwater and spent quite a bit of time talking to Massey afterward. Smart move for a young band.

THE SHOW: This was my eighth time seeing Steepwater (in eight different venues) and I’ve never seen a bad performance. I’ve written many paragraphs (and even recorded a podcast) explaining why I love this band so much. It was the first time seeing Steepwater for both Matt, an experienced guitar player, and Bill, a blues music afficionado (who should be hired by the city of St. Louis to be its ambassador). Here’s the view from some fresh eyes on the band:

Matt pointed out the communication between Massey and the other band members and said he loved how Massey would watch Bishop to find where they were in the song after stretching out a solo. He said he appreciated what each member brings to the band, but particularly loved Bishop’s groove on bass. He said he enjoyed what he’d heard from them on streaming services but found a new appreciation for them live.

Bill said he really enjoyed the band and the '70s rock style, and was impressed with the two-guitar attack from Massey and Saylors (see an example in the above video), and the original material.

SETLIST HIGHLIGHT: “Hard as Stone” is a Steepwater song from their first album that they did a different version of six years later for Songs from the 8th Day. I’ve seen them play it a few times, but never quite like this — Saylors and Massey had a ridiculous double lead (check out the video above), with Winters playing the song’s signature driving beat and an inspired Massey vocal.

Also, “Dance Me a Number” (first video below) is always a fun one to get to watch Massey play that riff, and “All the Way to Nowhere” (second video below) is one they don’t play often that they did (by request) for an encore.

CHATTER: Having talked to all four band members, there was a lot of buzz about a recent show at FitzGerald’s (in Berwyn) that had a big turnout, and also about the upcoming shows with Blackberry Smoke (June 5 in Waukegan) and Close Enemies (June 13 in Hobart, Ind.).

There’s also excitement about new music. Steepwater’s latest single will drop in the next two or three weeks, and they’ll be recording more for a new album soon.

Coming up

Nights 2 and 3 — Little Feat in Davenport, Iowa, and Larkin Poe in Chicago. Both great bands putting on great shows, but with polar opposite crowds. Plus some final thoughts on going to three shows in three states in three nights.