After publishing his memoir, „I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True,“ Steve Wynn embarked on a six-month tour of the US and Europe in September 2024, where he read excerpts from the book and interwoven them with numerous other stories, but above all, with a great deal of music. It was a highly entertaining evening, and even for listeners/viewers with a more or less rudimentary grasp of English, it wasn’t limited to just the music.
Now, Blue Rose Records is releasing a worldwide exclusive document of this tour, recorded at the „Monk“ club in Rome, Italy on April 9, 2025. This double CD is available exclusively through the Blue Rose Records mail order service, at Steve Wynn’s concerts, and via Steve’s Bandcamp page.
Here are Steve Wynn’s own words about the album:
„I took the stage in Oxford, U.K. in September of 2024, just a few weeks after the release of my memoir “I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True”. This was to be the kick-off of a six-month tour of the US and Europe where I planned to present a live representation of the book each night with a combination of readings, stories and song selections.
I had selected the excerpts that I knew I’d want to read and my wife Linda had lovingly copied, glued and taped those sections into a notebook to make it easier to reference on stage. Those readings would provide signposts for the 28 years covered in the story while I planned to weave in some songs I had chosen to help tell my tale. The basic outline was there, but I hadn’t plotted out much beyond that.
After sound check, I went for a long walk in that lovely historic city, mulling over how I might tie those pieces together later that night. I walked into the club about 30 minutes before my set, ready to wing it.
Shockingly it all came together quite naturally onstage, with impromptu jokes and an easy but linear flow. Backstage after the show I proceeded to write down as much as I could remember from my spontaneous outburst and 120 shows later, that “let’s-see-what-happens” night in Oxford has been the basis for every show I’ve done since with only minor amendments along the way.
Six months later the Italian translation of my book was released, and I decided to call on my friends and local luminaries Rodrigo D’Erasmo (violin, viola) and Enrico Gabrielli (sax, oboe, flute, keyboards) to join me for ride. We had a blast with our little orchestral, theatrical presentation over the course of 2 weeks and this show in Rome was definitely the highlight.
This is the next best thing to being there. And, hey, I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.“