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Kevin Costner & Modern West

Posted on Apr 16, 2014

By SethM

On April 13^th, two time Oscar winner Kevin Costner made his way to Long Island. No, he wasn’t here to make a movie, do press for a movie, or even do something related to the “Hatfields & McCoys” mini-series; he was here to play music.

Yes, you read that correctly ~ two time Academy Award winner and musician Kevin Costner came to play The Paramount in Huntington, NY with his band Modern West. And he even sent out a recorded message to fans beforehand; check it out here.

Fronted by Costner, Modern West is a 7 piece band that also includes Teddy Morgan (lead guitar), Blair Forward (guitar), John Coinman (vocals and acoustic guitar), Larry Cobbs (drums) and Luke Bulla and Park Chisolm on fiddles. Yes, this is a serious band and Kevin is serious about his music and his latest release Famous For Killing Each Other, which is inspired by the previously mentioned “Hatfields & McCoys.”

Kevin isn’t the only Costner musician in the family ~ it was his daughter Lily Costner who opened the show with a short set. All smiles and quite talented, apparently Lily is ready to follow in her father’s famous footsteps (although technically speaking, this evening he actually followed in hers).

Taking the stage with what I now know is the signature Costner family smile and waving to the crowd, Kevin wasted no time jumping right into “Red River,” following it up by thanking the crowd for coming out and treating his daughter so “gracefully.” After playing “Ashes Turn to Stone,” he also thanked the crowd for buying tickets and going to see all his movies through the years.

Costner & Modern West, a super solid band, continued through their set that featured some great violin playing with songs including “Down in Nogales,” “Top Down,” and “Let Me Be The One,” which was part duet with his daughter. It was obvious Kevin enjoys performing his music, appreciates the fans, and was very happy with the venue, as he praised The Paramount as “a great place to play.”

The full setlist was as follows:

Red River

Ashes Turn To Stone

Turn It On

Nogales

Alive in The City

Love is Everywhere

Maria Nay

Top Down

Let Me Be The One

Famous For Killing Each Other

Stand Strong

Long Way From Home

Cleo at The Wheel

Hey Man

Kevin Costner & Modern West aren’t just another celebrity’s vanity act, they are the real deal ~ and the 850 people who came out that night seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show, almost as much as Kevin and the band did. Kevin’s got a great voice and a great band behind him, so although some people may have shown up because he’s a famous actor, my guess is that they left as fans of more than just his movies.