WINNIPEG -- There was no revolution in America last November, and Steve Earle isn't happy about it. The Texas troubadour let a crowd of 1,300 at the Burton Cummings Theatre last night know exactly where he stood on American foreign policy and the war in Iraq -- in his song selection and between numbers.

"The thing about the people that start wars ... It's the guys with a lot of money, and they're not going. My boys are 18 and 22, and I make an embarrassing amount of money for a borderline Marxist, so I probably can prevent them from becoming involved in this illegal and immoral war," he said to a huge roar before launching into Rich Man's War, 40 minutes into his set.

UNCOMPROMISING

Earle is uncompromising in his politics as his song selection. This wasn't a greatest hits set to pander to fans with Earle focusing on tracks from his last two politically charged albums: 2002's post 9-11 inspired Jerusalem and last year's call to arms The Revolution Starts ... Now.

But despite the serious overtones of the music, Earle never comes across as preachy and mixes his message with a healthy dose of humour.

With his plaid shirt and jeans, he comes across as an everyman who just happens to write better songs than most.

The Texas troubadour and his four-piece band The Dukes took to the stage after Gil Scott-Heron's the Revolution Will Not Be Televised and kicked into the title track of his Grammy award winning album, The Revolution Starts ... Now.

The anthemic mid-tempo rocker was followed by the honky tonk barn burner Home To Houston before the band was joined on stage by opener Allison Moorer for Conspiracy Theory.

Moorer was a frequent guest on stage, helping out on Comin' Around and the ballad You're Still Standing There from 1996's I Feel Alright.

The Alabama native's dynamic voice blended well with the graveley voiced Earle, adding a soft touch to his rough edges.

At press time, an hour into a scheduled two-and-a-half hour set, the band was in the middle of Copperhead Road, Earle's only mainstream hit.

MELANCHOLY HALF HOUR

Moorer opened the show with a melancholy half hour set that showcased her soaring vocals, strong enough even to drown out the large crowd in the beer line in the lobby.

The storyteller focused on relationships but got the night's political proceedings started with All Aboard from her latest album Duel.

"I just want to let you know I didn't vote for W., but I'm sorry to say a lot of other people did. This song is for them," she said.