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One of the more adventurous, yet in the final analysis volatile, tours of 1992 was Michelle Shocked’s Arkansas Traveler Revue. Featuring headliner Shocked expanding on the musical and lyrical themes of her recent Arkansas Traveler disc, the tour also included Uncle Tupelo, Taj Mahal, and The Band (Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, and Levon Helm). By the time of the Carnegie Hall show (not even a half-dozen shows into the tour), The Band was already off the tour. Whether they wanted off or Shocked wanted them off is unclear as of this writing. Certainly, it was a big disappointment, nonetheless.

Carnegie Hall was the perfect venue for this revue-style show. At times the raucous yet sweet-natured music gave one a feeling of what those celebrated Weavers concerts of yesteryear may have been like.

Uncle Tupelo opened the show, playing songs from its home-grown musical catalog and sounding quite good. Mixing Neil Young-like country rock with a new music edge and spirit, the group seems destined to enter the world of major label acceptance soon.

Giving the show an anchor in roots music from Arkansas was the next performer, Taj Mahal. After years of putting a unique spin on country blues, Taj Mahal hasn’t lost a step. He jumped from boogie-woogie blues at the piano to the twangy acoustic blues sound that has made him one of the rare blues artists to connect for years with rock audiences. His bright, melodic guitar twang is irresistible, and he continuously paid homage to the great blues artists who inspired him.

Shocked began her portion of the show with “When I Grow Up,” the lead track from her debut studio album, Short Sharp Shocked. She then began concentrating on the fiddle music that is the basis of her new release, explaining how old fiddle songs she learned from her father were the basis for the new songs on her album. In fact, she brought her father out and he played on several songs; her brother performed on “Shaking Hands (Soldier’s Joy).”

On many occasions during the evening, she took time to explain the origins of much of the music and the stories behind the lyrics. She also explained how her first two albums were conceived: her first was influenced by Texas songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark and her second, Captain Swing, was a tribute to swing artists such as Bob Wills.

Some other memorable performances were “Prodigal Daughter (Cotton Eyed Joe)” and “Secret To A Long Life.” She did a bit of a reworking of her semi-hits “Anchorage” and “Come A Long Way,” and was buoyed throughout by the solid string support of Alison Brown, a major rising star on the acoustic scene.

This truly was a wonderful night of music. Shocked puts a lot into her music and the way it is presented. When she takes the patience to choreograph her introductions and arrangements, she is unbeatable in preserving rich American musical traditions while forging a style unmatched by anyone. She indicates that these first three albums are an introduction to who she is and to where she came from; if this is merely the introduction, the future should be nothing short of earthshaking.