A man of few words — he didn’t talk between songs, except for introducing his band — Cass McCombs lets his songs do the talking for him, and those songs have plenty to say. He’s much admired for his wry, incisive lyrics. In his recent appearance at The Atlantis, McCombs and his band played a sprawling, stylistically diverse set.
Last year, McCombs released his first album of original material (for adults) in three years, Interior Live Oak. Songs from the record made up the bulk of his set on May 8, beginning with “Priestess,” which has a sound that is reminiscent of Burt Bacharach. “I Never Dream About Trains” seems like an obvious nod to Robyn Hitchcock’s “I Often Dream About Trains,” leaning into Hitchcock’s penchant for psychedelia. It also seems to have an unreliable narrator who claims, “I never lie in my songs.” “Asphodel” rocked hard, while “Missionary Bell” was a contemplative folk ballad, with “Peace” splitting the difference.
Watch the official lyric video for “I Never Dream About Trains” by Cass McCombs on YouTube:
Other songs from the album filled out the first two-thirds of Cass’s set: “Miss Mabee,” “A Girl Named Dogie,” “Home At Last,” and “Juvenile.” After the new material, McCombs and his band jammed out on an old favorite, “Big Wheel.” They did that again on the penultimate song of the main set, “Dreams-Come-True-Girl.” He also played “Bum Bum Bum” and “Opium Flower,” finishing the set with “Sleeping Volcanoes.” For his encore, he did “County Line.”
Unfortunately, I missed the beginning of Lael Neale’s opening, but what I did see was impressive. She mentioned that “Some Bright Morning” references the Capitol Beltway and is about “getting it right someday.” She opened with “For Now One for Now,” followed by “I Am the River,” “Tell Me How to Be Here,” and “Blue Vein,” and she finished “Every Star Shivers in the Dark.”
I hadn’t either McCombs or Neale before this May 8 show. I’ve long admired Cass’s work, and he and his band put on a great show, exploring all the corners of his wide-ranging musical personality. I’m less familiar with Neale, but his work is terrific, and this was, all around, a great evening of live music.
Here are some photos of Cass McCombs performing live at The Atlantis on May 8, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Casey Vock.
Here are some photos of Lael Neale performing live at The Atlantis on May 8, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Casey Vock.
