Margo Timmins seemed a bit awestruck by the anniversary occasion, still trying her best to come to terms with the fact that — yes, indeed — the Cowboy Junkies have now been around for 40 years.
“We were only supposed to last five years,” the vocalist said to the long sold-out crowd at The Freight in Berkeley on Wednesday (June 18).
That five-year figure, she explained, was what she was originally told was the expected lifespan of a family band. Yet, the Cowboy Junkies have lapped that eight times over, maintaining the exact same lineup found on the very first album — 1985’s “Whites Off Earth Now!!” — while fashioning what is one of the most wholly satisfying catalogs of the last 40 years.
Simply put, this Canadian blues-folk-country-rock outfit — featuring Margo Timmins and her brothers Michael on guitar and Peter on drums, plus longtime pal Alan Anton on bass — has never made a bad album. Indeed, it’s never made anything less than a good one, with a number of them ranking in the excellent-to-stone-cold-classic realm.
The band has weathered the trends, going in and out of style on occasion, but always nurturing a passionate fan base — the most dedicated members of which are affectionately known as “Llamas” — through constant touring and frequent recording. And the Cowboy Junkies’ popularity seems to be peaking again, as witnessed by the many sold-out shows — with tickets for the Freight appearance going for many times face value on the resale market.
So, yeah, there’s a lot to celebrate with this 40th anniversary, including a West Coast tour that kicked off in brilliant fashion with a 2-hour-plus show that consisted of 20 songs in Berkeley. From there, the Cowboy Junkies were set to play the Uptown Theatre in Napa on Thursday (June 19) and the Center for the Performing Arts in Grass Valley on Friday, before winding their way up through Oregon and into Washington. (See cowboyjunkies.com for more touring info.)
The Cowboy Junkies are also marking the occasion with a remastered rerelease of the “Whites Off Earth Now!!” debut, a blues-driven, mostly covers set that is often overlooked in the discography — due in large part to the massive triumph the band registered with its sophomore set in 1988.
“A lot of people think ‘Trinity Session’ was our first album. It was just our first successful album,” Margo Timmins said to the audience, before adding with her typical self-effacing humor. “Our only successful album.”
The group went on to highlight “Whites Off Earth Now!!” by playing three of its nine tracks — the creeping slow, yet highly charged take on Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Shining Moon,” a deadly dark voyage through John Lee Hooker’s “Forgive Me” and the chance to ride shotgun with Bruce Springsteen on “State Trooper.”
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The Cowboy Junkies also played a foursome of tracks from their most recent album, 2023’s outstanding “Such Ferocious Beauty,” with each of the cuts holding up nicely in comparison to all the longtime fan favorites — such as “Misguided Angel,” “A Common Disaster” and, yes, even the highly championed cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” — on the setlist.
Credit that in large part to Michael Timmins, who — as the Junkies’ primary songwriter — just continues to mature and grow at his craft. Dive into all the heartbreak, disillusionment and quiet despair on “Such Ferocious Beauty” — if you dare — and what you’ll find is a wordsmith operating at the top of his game, crafting gems that speak to the human experience in such eloquent and insightful fashion.
He’s also a topnotch guitarist, who specializes in fuzz-drenched leads that say as much as his lyrics and rhythm parts that stick with you long after they have faded into the walls. He combines forces to create such magical moments with longtime Junkies touring sideman Jeff Bird, who plays a mean harmonica and turns heads with his electric work on the mandolin. The Junkies’ secret weapon of sorts, Bird has also appeared on each of the band’s studio outing, with the exception of that first disc — which was recorded in the Timmins family garage using a single ambisonic microphone.
The rest of the band also sounded terrific throughout the night, with Margo Timmins routinely drawing the lion’s share of the crowd attention with her gorgeous vocals as the Cowboy Junkies continued through “Black Eyed Man,” Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” and other winners.
The group didn’t quite have it’s A-plus game going yet, which isn’t unusual given this was the first night of the tour. The biggest misstep was when Margo Timmins got a bit lost and forgot some of the the lyrics to the Junkies classic “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning.”
“It’s really sad when you screw up the lyrics and they are right here,” she quipped, referencing the big book of lyrics in front of her.
Yet, none of that seemed to matter much, as the group just kept on going — just as it’s been doing for 40 years — and finished the show in triumphant fashion.
“Thanks so much for letting us play,” Margo Timmins said to the crowd. “It’s the thing we like to do best.”
Here’s hoping that the Cowboy Junkies will keep right on doing what they “like to do best” for years and years to come.
Cowboy Junkies setlist 6/18/25
1. “Misguided Angel”
2. “‘Cause Cheap Is How I Feel”
3. “What I Lost”
4. “Hard to Build. Easy to Break”
5. “Circe and Penelope”
6. “A Common Disaster”
7. “Forgive Me”
Set 2:
8. “Good Friday”
9. “Sweet Jane”
10. “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning”
11. “Shining Moon”
12. “Powderfinger”
13. “Black Eyed Man”
14. “Shadows 2”
15. “My Little Basquiat”
16. “Bea’s Song (River Song Trilogy: Part II)”
17. “State Trooper”
18. “Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)”
Encore:
19. “Dreaming My Dreams with You”
20. “Walkin’ After Midnight”
