I kind of love everything about this track. The fact that the guy’s got this one bit of redemption to hang his hat on, that the song acquires a nice bit of lift with the keyboards and backing vocals, and that Bruce lets the descriptive phrases tumble out freely, reminding me of the first couple of records. I suppose some folks might not like this one because of the twang-infused vocals. To each his own. Me, I’ve always liked it when Bruce takes on a different persona in that way.
Why “Maria’s Bed” has barely seen the light of day outside of the Devils & Dust tour is something of a mystery. I always thought it would be an absolute blast played with the full band. That “Why doesn’t he?” question gets a lot of play in the era of online setlist watching. Some want to believe that Bruce is being lazy about it. I dunno, but with the current three (and sometimes four) guitar lineup, they could burn the house down with this one.
Embedded video is from the 2013 Belfast pre-show, with Bruce trying to work it out, and then finally getting it right. Very nice indeed.
Up next: Silver Palomino
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“Maria’s Bed” is one of his best latter day compositions and why it continues to remain absent in his playlists is beyond me. Devils & Dust in general must either be something he holds close to his vest or it’s a point of contention with someone