Stacy Sullivan
Tornado Alley
Brownville Concert Series, Brownville, NE, June 14, 2026
Reviewed by Jan Chism Wright
Courtesy of the performer
Just as a good movie needs a great soundtrack, so does a good life. Stacy Sullivan shared some special moments from her life with Brownville audiences through song in her show Tornado Alley, starting with growing up on Lightning Creek in Oklahoma. The fact that several tornados had blown through here just two weeks ago added a certain extra frisson to the occasion. Naturally, “Stormy Weather” ( Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler) was the perfect example of the slow, simmering tempo of soft remembrance reflected in the entire show. Sullivan is what one would call a long, tall, cool drink of water that makes you want to linger.
The audience sat hushed and enraptured, captured by Sullivan’s haunting, lilting, dulcimer tones reminiscent of Judy Collins (“Since You Asked”). Johnny Rodgers’ elegantly understated piano perfectly mirrored the mood of the singer and her songs, which were selected from a variety of songwriters such as Woody Guthrie (“This Land Is Your Land”) and George Harrison (“Here Comes the Sun”) as well as Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, Hoagy Carmichael, and Ed Sheeran. The songs performed with only her pure golden voice and guitar, played with such depth and feeling by Troy Fannin, further deepened the intimacy of the evening. Each song was received with reflection and appreciation by the audience as they recalled the special meaning those songs held for them in their own lives. That is what great talent does, that is what Brownville loves!
