Concert review: Colter Wall weaves stories of rugged Americana at sold-out First Interstate Center for the Arts show

On Sunday night, Colter Wall emerged from the plains of Saskatchewan to play in Spokane, bringing a taste of the ragged, authentic sound that sold out the venue with him.

Before Wall and the band took to the stage, Kade Hoffman started the evening with a solo performance.

With nothing but an acoustic guitar and gruff vocals, Hoffman spent his set taking the audience back to perhaps the most original form of country music. With a textured sound well beyond his years, he told primarily told stories of heartbreak; those of a young man who can feel lost in this world (along with a classic murder ballad or two).

It didn’t take long for Hoffman to win over the audience in a big way, and it’s incredibly easy to see the raw passion within the Colorado man. A simple set, sure, but an impressive one.

After intermission, Wall and the Scary Prairie Boys got right down to business. Although the concert featured over 20 songs, they played so consistently that it was almost difficult to tell just how many songs were featured. Definitely one of the quicker shows I’ve attended with a setlist of that length.

Before diving specifically into Wall, it’d be a crime not to mention just how impressive the band was.

From the added twangy depth of the pedal steel and the perfect wails of the harmonica to the perhaps underrated timekeeping of the bass and drums, the Scary Prairie Boys had the classic Western swing of Wall’s sound nailed down to a T.

Although Wall may be 29, his voice emerges with a sense of grit that naturally tells the tales of those long before him – those who lived within the once lawless and unforgiving landscapes of North America.

A cattleman of the flatlands painted by harsh winters and long winds, Wall’s ability to articulate a lifestyle surrounded by the buttes and meandering hills of the Canadian plains transport the audience to a place untouched by time.

In that theater, maybe this place is more of a concept than physicality. A fiction created by the truths found within stories of pondering one’s own blues, enjoying the simpler aspects of a complex existence, finding the beauty in places unappreciated and the tall tales of Wall’s somber narratives.

Although most of the attendees in the First Interstate Center for the Arts aren’t cowpunchers, you don’t need to be a range rider to find solace in the contemporary sound and humble words.

During a time when country, Americana and folk has become a trend to follow, authentic artists like Wall may just be some of the most important.

There are still a few storytellers left out there. Take the time to listen.