Lilly Hiatt got a little assistance from friends Margo Price and Brandy Zdan on a fiery cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” captured by a fan at Hiatt’s Nashville show last Thursday.
Appropriately, Hiatt’s own “Records” leads off the 10-minute performance at the Basement East. A searing rocker from her Trinity Lane album, the tune exalts her beloved LPs as being far more dependable than any boyfriend and even shouts out Neil Young in the bridge. As the performance morphs into the ringing chords of Young’s classic, Price and Zdan join Hiatt on the stage – Price claiming the throne at a second drum kit, and Zdan plugging in a red Telecaster. Together with Hiatt’s band, they bash away on Young’s anthem, adding squalling guitar solos and rhythmic heft.
This week, they all head in separate directions. Price is bound for Austin, where she’ll play at Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic, while Hiatt is scheduled to play the Winnepeg Folk Festival on July 6th and Zdan has a gig at the Belmont Hotel in Dallas this evening.