Earle brings the house down at Murat

Continuing his "Trancendental Blues" tour, rocker Steve Earle stopped in Indianapolis Tuesday night at the Murat Theater. \nEarle's combination of rock and roll and country rocked the house, with his band and special guest Stacy Earle, Steve's younger sister. The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. as crowds anxiously awaited entrance, eager to get as close to the stage as possible. Stacy opened for Earle at 7:30 p.m. under a yellow light with a sound that showed her country roots. Earle went onstage shortly thereafter.\nEarle stepped onstage and opened the show with his hit single "Transcendental Blues," that has a blues rock sound with a strong electric lead. His playlist from his new album included upbeat songs such as "Another Town," "Steve's Last Ramble" and "Wherever I Go." Another new song, "The Galway Girl," finds its roots in Irish-American music and made some people feel the sensation of being in the middle of an Irish jig. \n"The Boy Who Never Cried," "Lonelier Than This," "I Don't Want to Lose You Yet," "Halo 'Round the Moon" and "Over Yonder" showed a slower somber tone that expressed emotion to the audience. \nEarle recalled writing "Over Yonder," which expresses his opposition to the death penalty. The song is about an inmate in Texas sentenced to death row. Earle said he witnessed a "horrific" act of execution of an inmate named Jonathan Nobles. "If this is a democracy and the state kills somebody, then I am killing someboby and I object to the damage that does to my spirit," he said. \nEarle's performance of his new material showed a definite evolution and a new sophistication. But the concert did more than just promote his new album. Earle performed songs from many of his past albums, such as "Devil's Right Hand," "Telephone Road," "New York City," "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" and his most famous hit, "Copperhead Road." These songs rocked his older crowd who knew many of the old songs by heart. \nThe concert demonstrated Earle's versatility and talent as a musician, which makes it difficult for people to classify his music.