Kiefer Sutherland Played The Stone Pony with Austin Plaine, 5/24/16

Kiefer Sutherland at The Stone Pony

Down in a Hole

"I know we're doing this ass-backwards," said Kiefer Sutherland from the stage. "You're supposed to have an album out first and then go on tour. My schedule is such that this is how we had to do it. So thank you for being here to hear a bunch of songs you don't know."

And the fact that Sutherland's debut LP, Down in a Hole, isn't due until later this summer didn't seem to matter at all to the fans that packed out Asbury Park's Stone Pony on Tuesday night. Sure, most of the people were there as fans of Kiefer Sutherland the actor. One guy even asked me if I knew any of Sutherland's material. When I told him I'd heard "Not Enough Whiskey" and described it as "traditional country," the guy said, "Oh. It's country? Cool." Sutherland's excellent band and charming stage presence won everyone over in short order.

Down in a Hole grew out of a collaboration between Sutherland and Jude Cole. The pair founded Ironworks Records together in 2002, and Sutherland shared a pair of songs with his friend in 2015 that would form the basis for the new record. In a March interview with Rolling Stone, Sutherland called the album "the closest thing I've ever had to a journal or diary." The songs he played on Tuesday dealt with relationships, breakups, drinking, jail -- common topics for country music and all things that Sutherland has dealt with in his past. He brought the crowd right along with him during the show and peppered his set with covers of songs by some of his influences like Tom Petty, Gordon Lightfoot, and Bob Dylan.

I also want to give special mention to Minneapolis native, Austin Plaine, who opened the show. Plaine has been on tour with Sutherland since April and gave an honest and intimate solo acoustic performance. He managed to quiet the already-large crowd and hold the attention of most during his set.

Austin Plaine

I'm not sure how many Kiefer Sutherland fans knew what they were getting into last night, but Plaine's opening set and Sutherland's effortless star quality made for an extremely enjoyable evening. Even if you didn't know any of the songs.

It was a packed show with no photo pit, so I did my best in terms of shots. You can see all of those in the galleries.