Shakey Graves with Ruby Waters
Mercury Ballroom
Louisville, KY
May 11th, 2025
Shakey Graves (Alejandro Rose-Garcia) brought his ‘And The War Came’ 10th Anniversary Tour to Mercury Ballroom on May 11th to a packed house! Touring in support of the 2014 album, he performed the tracks from that album, as well as a few from his other albums. With his blend of blues, folk, country, and rock, Rose-Garcia has garnered a large and passionate fan base since starting out in 2007. Starting out the evening was Canadian singer-songwriter Ruby Waters. She and her band came out onto the stage and, from the first note sung, immediately had the attention of the crowd. Water’s voice has a gritty and powerful intensity to it, one that grabs your attention and does not let go. Powerful at moments, but soft and subdued in others, she has an incredible range. She and her band performed an 11-song setlist, plowing through each song with fun, engaging with each other on stage as well as with the crowd. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. I have no doubt that Ruby Water’s will keep gaining more and more attention and fans with her amazing voice, songs, and live performance! It was a great way to start the evening.
Closing out the evening was Shakey Graves. As soon as he came out onto the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. He performed many of the songs this evening with his band, but also performed a few solo, including “Hard Wired”, “Roll The Bones”, “Nobody’s Fool”, and “Big Time Nashville Star” and “Dearly Departed” with Ruby Waters during the encore. Rose-Garcia has an incredibly warm and inviting feel, making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed this evening. He talked quite a bit throughout the set, whether it was stories about his past, the making of his albums, or meaning behind his songs, that lent a more intimate and special feel to the evening. He talked a bit about how this was the first venue he played in Louisville and how And The War Came was the album that put him on the map as an artist and how nothing was the same after it’s release. It was evident hearing him talk that he is grateful for his success as an artist, thanking his fans for their support over the years. He is very much a live artist, visibly giving 110% in his live performance. He made sure to engage regularly with the crowd, encouraging them to sing along and dance, and early in the set even had fun with a young boy at the barricade by holding out his mic stand to the kid for his to sing along. It was a really fun evening, with an amazing energy permeating the venue all night that made it almost impossible not to have a good time!
Ruby Waters
Shakey Graves
