For his 1981 appearance on Austin City Limits Kris Kristofferson appeared with his longtime backing band. Guitarist Stephen Bruton, drummer Sammy Creason, keyboardist Donnie Fritts, and multi-instrumentalist Billy Swann had been part of Kristofferson’s gang since the early ‘70s, while veteran players Tommy McClure and Glen Clark were more recent additions. These musicians understood how to keep the performances lean and steady, but they also knew how to have fun with the arrangements. “The Pilgrim” is given a roadhouse shuffle befitting early Bob Dylan, while “Me and Bobby McGee” is radically reinvented as a tightly wound rave-up, as if Kristofferson were channeling Buddy Holly as a punk. The band pitches “For the Good Times” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” just right, but more recent works like “Star Crossed” and “Nobody Loves Anybody Anymore” are just as good, if not better. Live From Austin, Texas does away with all the tumultuous turns of Kristofferson’s ‘70s career, and puts the focus on his foundation: playing loose and free among a crew of pals and expert pickers.