Gary Clark Jr. and Marcus King
The Venue at Thunder Valley, Lincoln
January 31, 2026
Photos by Paul Piazza
Anyone who dabbles in the contemporary blues universe, is aware that both Gary Clark Jr. and Marcus King are two to always keep your radar keenly tuned into. Recently, there was a cosmic collision, when these galaxies intersected briefly as the pair co-headlined The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln. It was the only date on their tour schedule that landed this way, with both in the same venue, on the same night. And naturally, like the recent brief glimpses we got of Aurora Borealis earlier this year, it was an evening of “Bright Lights.”
Indeed, for those who were there, this show was a rare opportunity to see a pair of musical dynamos, who have been continuously evolving their craft as they are only beginning to approach their prime.
King opened the night with his band firing on all cylinders with “The Well,” from his El Dorado record. El Dorado was released early in 2020 and it is notable for being the first of two records where King worked with producer/musician Dan Auerbach (Black Keys). He followed that with 2022’s Young Blood, also with Auerbach, then 2024’s Mood Swings, which was produced by studio guru Rick Rubin. Most recently, 2025’s Darling Blue was done with Eddie Spear. Spear is notable for his work with Sierra Ferrell and Zach Bryan. King focused mainly on songs from this latest record during his set.
King was on the radar of Deep South musical titans from an early age. His first two solo records were produced by Warren Haynes. The Marcus King Band record called Carolina Confessions was produced by the renowned producer Dave Cobb. These were done while King was in his late teens. He is 29 now.
Between exploring his sound with that stellar group of producers, it must also be noted that King’s own vocal and guitar uniqueness is what drives it and drew those prolific sound engineers to him. He is without question a unique individual with a one of a kind soulful vocal range that is raw, dynamic, and brimming with soulful resonance. His guitar prowess is defined by a soul-influenced psychedelic approach that is characterized by a chromatic-heavy approach with sophisticated blues lines that are sometimes reminiscent of jazz phrasing.
During the pandemic times, he was the only artist to do a livestream that began with him driving a vintage 1980 Cadillac El Dorado onto the stage. One must also mention that on that two-night stream the two guests he featured were Billy Strings and the late Brent Hinds of Mastodon. Hinds joined him for covers of ZZ Top and Black Sabbath songs. The Sabbath song was “Electric Funeral.”
King’s other memorable livestream appearance was in a tribute to John Prine, where he beautifully covered the songbook classic “Clay Pigeons.” If one examines that confluence of influences and infuse it into a musician with an extraordinary singing voice, you might have an idea of where King is coming from. He can go heavy, he can go bluesy and lately, he has added a bit more cosmic country flavor to it all. Drew Smithers, the band’s other guitarist, complements King’s fiery lead style with his sensational slide style.
On this evening, King seemed loose and continued to kick up the vibe after the opening rock out with songs mostly off of his most recent record Darling Blue.This record, which came out late last year, shows him at the top of his craft. It glibly combines Motown, Cosmic Country, psychedelic rock, and country folk. Such songs as “Honky Tonk Hell” and “No Room for Blue” emphasized this in Lincoln.
Gary Clark Jr. hit the stage limber as well. Before the show, he was shooting hoops behind the venue and when he came out, he was moving like a point guard when he hit the stage. Albeit, this was a wisened 42 year old point guard, bringing the ball up the court carefully like the game is on the line. And then once he got it going, Clark dished it around to the band and then always got it back in time for the big finish.
Clark’s most recent album, JPEG Raw, is his fourth studio album. It’s a bit of a raw, musical diary, where Clark reflects on his early influences in soul, funk, hip-hop, and African music. Stevie Wonder and George Clinton guest on the record. One of the themes he explores is his desire to escape being solely regarded as a “blues artist.” And after this well-received set, it can be said with certainty that he has achieved that.
Clark grew up in Austin, Texas, where lots of young guitarists are labeled the “next” Stevie Ray Vaughan. This may have been attributed in part due to Stevie’s older brother Jimmie, being a mentor for Clark early in his career when he was a teenager starting to get stage time at the legendary blues club Antone’s. In fact, Clark and Jimmie Vaughan have shared the stage many times, including a 2013 Kennedy Center tribute, when Clark led a band that performed for the Obamas in honor of Jon Stewart receiving the Mark Twain Prize for humor. It must be mentioned here that early every May Austin celebrates a day they call Gary Clark Jr. Day.
As he matures, Clark has developed a distinctive style. On the guitar, his sound is characterized by thick fuzz, high gain, and soulful, dynamic articulation. Vocally, he can go from a grizzled rasp to a high, Curtis Mayfield-style falsetto.
His 2019 album, This Land was inspired by a racial incident that occurred when a neighbor confronted him and refused to believe that Clark owned the 50-acre property he was on. The resulting album allowed him to explore the theme of reclaiming space and it received widespread acclaim and earned Clark a contemporary blues Grammy.
On this night, the set opener, “Maktub”from JPEG Raw, veered in a variety of ways and had a unique, jazz, hip-hop and funk feel to it. The band masterfully worked their way through it before dipping deep into some tasty classics from Clark’s repertoire. Clark excels at letting the songs take a life of their own and on this night, he brought out a quartet of songs from Black and Blu, Clark’s 2012 debut, which was produced by Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem, Mastodon). That one really got the entire room simmering.
Clark then went on to “When My Train Pulls In,” his Band of Gypsies-like blues jam that started with a slow-building intensity and then got really soulful and dirty with guitar fire from Clark and guitarist King Zapata with powerful propulsion from drummer JJ Johnson. It was astounding.
By the end of his set, Clark and his band had the crowd worked into a restless, soulful frenzy. So naturally, it was time to bring out King for a an unhurried encore of “Bright Lights,” that kept things building and building with its driving, pulsing rhythm and Clark’s relentless refrains all the while with both King’s Marcus and Zapata book ending him onstage with cool fierceness. It was something. As the song built to a mesmerizing climax, the crowd sang along with the repeated refrain “You are going to know my name by the end of the night.” It was fitting. Clark and King. We were fortunate to get them both together for one night.
The remainder of 2026 promises to be stellar for both as they pursue different cosmic elements of their passions. King soon embarks on the Toy Factory project. This is a project started by Paul T. Riddle, the powerhouse drummer of the Marshall Tucker Band, to honor the band’s late founder Toy Caldwell. King will be part of this dream band along with Oteil Burbridge of Dead and Company, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, and pianist Josh Shilling (Wynona Judd). Most of the group’s dates are on the East Coast but we can cross our fingers for the West. Clark, in the meantime, will play some smaller venues to reconnect with his roots. And of course, the most renowned one is Antone’s in Austin, where he’ll play a total of eight dates, the first of which coincides with Gary Clark Jr. Day. There will be also stops at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans and Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. These are all going to be fantastic gigs, but hopefully, if we’re all lucky, their universes will align again.
