Review: Outlaw country artist Margo Price pulls no punches in 90-minute showdown at Metro
Margo Price is a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll and has a whole lot of “I don’t care what you think about it” attitude.
Her message was clear even before she and her four-piece band broke into a cover of George Jones’ “I Just Don’t Give A Damn” at the Metro in Wrigleyville Saturday night. And it was reinforced on another smoking cover of Blaze Foley’s “Oval Room.” Originally written in the ’80s about Ronald Reagan, the song “feels fitting right now,” Price said, singing her heart out on the lyrics, “he’s the president, but I don’t care!” and flipping both her birds as the sold-out crowd roared in approval.
This is the bold, loudmouth “Hard Headed Woman” everyone paid to see — and got their money’s worth in a 90-minute showdown that was as much honky-tonk as it was straight shooting from the hip about current issues often snuffed out of modern mainstream country music.
Featuring a handful of brazen originals from her twice-Grammy nominated 2025 album as well as song tributes to fellow folk and country insurgents Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Waylon Jennings, the set list was carefully plotted as a celebration of outlaw music.
It’s a badge Price continues to proudly wear even as she’s policed by Nashville ilk that have branded her a rabble-rouser outsider.
“I’ve lived there long enough that I’ve earned the right to hate it,” Price said, not shy about her sentiments regarding the country music capital. Still, Price (who was born and raised in Aledo in western Illinois) creates a sound that fits in with the best of Nashville, past and present.
Whether it’s a barn raiser like “Red Eye Flight,” the rockabilly twang beauty of “Wild At Heart,” the acoustic slide lullaby “Close To You” or the sassy “Don’t Wake Me Up,” a song written in her childhood bedroom a few Christmases ago, Price’s material has a retro-country seal that has through-lines to Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.
The visuals furthered the Music City vibe, like the cowboy hats that appeared in the crowd and onstage, or Price’s ensemble of knee-high suede boots that stomped the floor and long fringe cuff bracelets that swayed furiously as she strummed her guitar or slapped her tambourine. Or, the cowhide rugs, salt lamps and mushroom stools on the stage that made Metro feel like an intimate back-of-the-bar listening room, especially when coupled with an exceptional band that commanded attention.
Alec Newman’s tender and steady bass, Brandon Combs’ controlled drum beats and Sean Thompson’s incredible wielding of electric guitar that often veered off into “Freebird”-level solos were incredible accompaniments to the night’s soundscape.
Price’s chemistry with guitarist Logan Ledger (who also opened the show with his solo material) was palpable as they beautifully dueted on “Close To You” and “Love Me Like You Used To,” with Ledger perfectly taking over the reins for Tyler Childers, who appears on the recorded collab track. Ledger also had a moment in the main set to wow the crowd with his original tune, “All The Wine In California” as Price took a reprieve to head backstage to change into a silver sequined dress for the encore.
“Both these guys on either side of me have records downstairs,” Price said, promoting the great talents of Thompson and Ledger, knowing full well she wasn’t the only star of the night. The merch booth also had a spotlight on Farm Aid — as Price shared, with any donation, fans were able to enter to win one of her signed signature guitars. “We need to support our local farmers!” Price demanded. A few steps after she performed the Spanish folk song “De Colores,” an anthem linked to the United Farm Workers.
Of all the standout moments of the night, the one that stuck after the show ended was her rollicking single “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” which called for resiliency and to keep up the fight in the face of adversity. It’s songs like these that have netted Price co-signs from her heroes and generational game changers like Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson and fellow Illinoisan Mavis Staples, with whom Price worked on the 2022 song “Fight to Make It,” with proceeds going to reproductive justice organizations.
Price’s material hearkens back to the very foundation of country music that was used as protest — and “outlaw” or not, she dares to press the community on what the America they sing about really stands for. As she ended the night throwing roses out to the crowd, you can only hope she saved one for herself.
Margo Price set list for Feb. 28 concert at Metro in Chicago
About To Find Out
Wild At Heart
Red Eye Flight
Don’t Wake Me Up
Close To You
Love Me Like You Used To Do
I Just Don’t Give A Damn (George Jones cover)
Tennessee Song
Keep A Picture
Prelude (Hard Headed Woman)
Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down
Oval Room (Blaze Foley cover)
De Colores (traditional cover)
Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) (Woody Guthrie cover)
All The Wine In California (Logan Ledger cover)
Kissing You Goodbye (Waylon Jennings cover)
Hurtin’ (on the Bottle)
Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan cover)