Man, Tyler Childers really knows how to keep us on our toes.
You never really know what the guy has up his sleeve. There was his surprise instrumental album Long Violent History a couple years ago, followed by his 2022 album Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven? where we got three different versions of the same record.
And after posting cryptic teasers on social media this week, Tyler finally announced his upcoming album Rustin’ In the Rain, and dropped the first single “In Your Love.” But it was really the video for the track that caught everybody by surprise and when it depicted a forbidden love between two men working in the coal mines in rural Appalachia from the 1950s.
Say what you will about Tyler, but he knows how to get people talking.
Although last night he pulled something out that I never could have guessed: He played a show with The Muppets.
Yes, those Muppets.
The show at the Newport Blues Cafe in Rhode Island was actually somewhat of a surprise itself. The performer was advertised as “Shadrach Boggs,” but longtime Tyler Childers fans know that Shadrach “Shady” Boggs is actually a character played by Tyler himself in the cinematic masterpiece from a few years ago, Laid Back Makes a Deal.
Fans quickly figured out that ol’ Shady Boggs was actually Tyler Childers, and sold out the small venue pretty much immediately. And it’s a good thing they did, because they got to see quite the unique show.
During his performance, Tyler…er, Shady…surprised the crowd with a special guest appearance by Floyd Pepper, the puppet bass player from the Electric Mayhem band on The Muppet Show.
Why? Honestly, I can’t figure it out. But when it comes to Tyler Childers, I’ve stopped trying to figure it out and just enjoy the ride.
And what a wild ride it is.
