Man, the hustle never stops: Charley Crockett live in Springfield

Even after three albums in a year, the Texas 'cowboy singer' shows no signs of slowing down

Charley Crockett performing at the Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of University of Illinois-Springfield. (My photos are a lot better with a new phone and good seat!)

Charley Crockett drifted into Springfield on May 9, and I was there — catching him live for the second time.

I got hooked on his music last year with $10 Cowboy, but never expected he’d release two more albums within a year after that. Not that I’m complaining — that does help keep the live sets fresh!

Here’s what went down at Sangamon Auditorium — and a closer look at how the hell this guy keeps up the pace.

Live in Springfield: Charley Crockett’s setlist, the crowd & more

Where: Sangamon Auditorium, University of Illinois-Springfield

Venue: This was my third show at the Sangamon Auditorium, having previously seen Jackson Browne there in 2023 and Joe Bonamassa in 2024. The last time I was there, they quit serving concessions of any kind once the show started. At this show, they ran out of alcohol before the opener even started. The general vibe of this facility is they’re doing you a favor by having these shows, so don’t expect much.

Viewing spot: The auditorium is all seated, and I got a great spot — second row behind the VIP area right in the middle. My first two shows here were in the nosebleeds, so this was a major improvement. View and sound were great.

Crowd: It was a big crowd — I don’t know if the 2,000-seat facility was sold out, but it was very full. Everyone sat, but some of us stood for the encore. Overall, the crowd was a little sedate, but there were some decent reactions. There was a lot of talking for the opener, but people mostly shut up for Crockett.

Performance: Crockett is a dynamic entertainer who puts a lot of soul into his vocals and playing. He’s also a showman who adds some extra flourishes with a quick dance move or guitar stunt. The highlight of his band, the Blue Drifters, is keyboardist/trumpet player Kullen Fox — the crowd popped every time he picked up the trumpet. Lead guitar player Alexis Sanchez and steel guitar player Nathan Fleming don’t get much solo time, but are pivotal to his sound.

Setlist highlights: He did eight of the 12 songs from his new album, Lonesome Drifter, including my favorites, “Easy Money” and “Never No More.” “Trinity River” and “The Man From Waco” are where Fox shines on trumpet. “Crucified Son” is an unreleased song that he’s already played eight times live, but is going to be a good one on the next album, I hope.

Opener: When I walk into a bar in Nashville, Jake Penrod and his band are who I want to see. A four-piece with a steel guitar player, they play good, old-fashioned honkey-tonk. Highlights from his set were his new single, “The Bridge Washed Out,” and a shit-kicking version of Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains in Southern California.”

Merch table score.

Merch: There was lots of excellent merch — Crockett has upped his game since I saw him last year in St. Louis. In addition to autographed vinyl copies of Lonesome Drifter, there were venue-specific autographed posters, which was my choice. Shout-out to concert-going legend Jim Reiners for giving me the heads-up about the posters on Facebook.

Charlie Crockett and the Blue Drifters perform at Sangamon Auditorium.

Too much music? Charley Crockett’s relentless release pace

Crockett has released 14 albums since 2015 — three in the last year alone.

My knee-jerk reaction? Too much.

Then I listened to his latest album, Lonesome Drifter. Produced by Shooter Jennings and backed by a major label for the first time (Island Records), it might be Crockett’s best album.

But why the breakneck pace?

It might trace back to his 2019 open-heart surgery — though he offers other theories, too.

In 2023, he told Swillhouse: “I have put out a lot of records, because I’ve never listened to anybody who told me I couldn’t.”

After signing with Island this year, Crockett did an interview with Billboard and said: “One of the reasons I record so often is because I’m really good at starting songs, but I’m not always great at finishing them, if I don’t have pressure. I need a bunch of pressure and not a lot of time, so booking studio sessions is how I finish songs.”

And then, in a March L.A. Times interview, he simply said: “I’m a late bloomer. I’ve got some catching up to do.”

Not all the music has been original material. Four of the 14 albums are all covers, another is half covers, and many of his albums contain at least one cover.

But that still leaves a large amount of original songs in a short time. In the last year, his three albums — in addition to three singles not appearing on albums — have totaled 38 songs. Of those, 29 were written or co-written by Crockett.

He also told Billboard he and Jennings have another album done and the sketch of a third.

Clearly, writing songs isn’t something Crockett struggles to do. He has a system for songwriting that works for him. If he’s getting weary, it doesn’t show. Let’s enjoy the ride.

Charley Crockett will be on a stage somewhere in the U.S. for much of the next five months, so if you want to see him, there will be chances. He returns to Illinois on Oct. 9 (Salt Shed in Chicago)

Meet Charley Crockett: Drifter, troubadour, outlaw

Crockett’s “cowboy singer” persona is no act. A 41-year-old San Benito, Texas native, who has busked all over the world, Crockett barely avoided serving time in his younger days after a scheme that sent his brother to prison and permanently banned Crockett from the stock market. He also did time for getting pulled over with six pounds of weed in his car in California.

But Crockett instead invested in his music, and it turned his life around. As a musician, he earnestly pays homage to music of various genres — mostly country — from across the decades, putting his unique touch on them. As he sings in “Life of a Country Singer” — “I ain’t the first one or the best, but I’m different. Baby, I’m just me, nothing more, nothing less.”

There aren’t many types of classic country he doesn’t dip his toe in, while also including some blues, folk and classic soul. He nods to the outlaws, but also does songs in the Nashville sound Waylon was rebelling against, fully embracing whatever style he tries.

Crockett and his band are fine musicians, but don’t jam much — on record or live. They play tight, slice-of-life songs that are sometimes autobiographical, but at other times tell the stories of various desperate people and places. The stories don’t linger — most of Crockett’s songs are 3 minutes and a cloud of dust and tumbleweed, painting a quick, vivid portrait, then moving on to the next.

More photos and videos

Charley Crockett with bass player Jacob Marchese and drummer Mayo Valdez.

Charley Crockett with drummer Mayo Valdez and keyboard player Kullen Fox.

Blue Drifters guitar player Alexis Sanchez.

Fox playing the trumpet.

Midnight Rider (hmm, guess there was some talking in the crowd)

Solitary Road

Welcome to Hard Times

Killers of the Flower Moon

Juke Box Mama (Link Wray cover)

$10 Cowboy

Lonesome Drifter

Jake Penrod and his band.

In a Corner, at the Table, by the Jukebox