New Live Album Captures Kris Kristofferson at Gilley’s in 1981

Kris Kristofferson announced his retirement last year — a year after it had actually taken place — but if you were longing to hear him live again, a new record announced today (which happens to be Kristofferson’s 86th birthday) offers something close.

The never-before-released 15 song set titled Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 15th, 1981 is coming Sept. 2 via New West Records. Recorded at the Urban Cowboy honky-tonk on the last date on Kristofferson’s 1981 tour, the songs feature Stephen Bruton, Billy Swan, Donnie Fritts, Tommy McClure, Glen Clark, and Sammy Creason backing Kristofferson on the storied Gilley’s stage.

“Gilley’s could hold several thousand people, but the club was very intimate. You were right there on the stage with people all around you. You could bend down and shake hands with people,” recalls Mickey Gilley in liner notes written a few months before he died last May. “Right next to the club was the recording studio, and we recorded everything that was done onstage. We could record onto the 24-track machine that we had in the studio, then we would do the mixing … We booked a lot of shows around that time, including some people I didn’t think would want to play the club. We got some acts that made me think, ‘Are you kidding me?’ … Kris Kristofferson was one of those artists that I didn’t think would want to play Gilley’s, because he was such a big name and a tremendous talent.”

Also featured in the project’s liner notes is George Strait, who comments on the performance captured on Live at Gilley’s: “Kris was in his prime and his vocals were outstanding and very soulful as always. I got to play Gilley’s a few times back in those days and this record takes me right back there. You can tell the crowd is loving him and he’s loving them right back. That’s what it’s all about. It was an exciting time to say the least. So close your eyes and listen to this record. Imagine you’re right there standing in front of the stage with the man himself looking right at you. I think you’ll get a really good idea of what Gilley’s was like back then when Kris played there. What a treat that must’ve been.”

The first single from Live at Gilley’s is one of Kristofferson’s best known songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” performed to an audibly energetic crowd:

Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 15th, 1981 will be available via streaming and on CD and vinyl. Here’s a look at the track listing:

1. Me and Bobby McGee
2. Here Comes That Rainbow Again
3. Casey’s Last Ride
4. You Show Me Yours (And I’ll Show You Mine) / Stranger
5. Nobody Loves Anybody Anymore
6. Darby’s Castle
7. If It’s All the Same to You
8. The Pilgrim
9. For the Good Times
10. Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down
11. The Silver Tongued Devil and I
12. Smile at Me Again
13. Same Old Song
14. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)
15. Why Me