Old 97's
July 11, 2007
The Crossroads at Grinders
Review & Photos by Richard Gintowt
Would I ever have listened to Johnny Cash if it weren't for the Old 97's? Probably, but they had a lot to do with it. "Timebomb" was the first train-beat song I can remember liking. It was a big deal to discover a band like the Old 97's in high school; my friends and I were still getting over that whole grunge thing.
So here we are a decade later, and the anti-teetotalling Texas two-steppers haven't skipped a beat. Kicking things off with two of their trademark girly-name numbers ("Doreen" and Annette's "Designs on You"), the Old 97's made it abundantly clear that Rhett Miller's two-album solo detour hadn't ruptured their chemistry. They looked happy as hell to be playing Kansas City on a beautiful Wednesday evening -- probably partly due to the fact that the Crossroads' outdoor setting looked every bit the part of Antone's in Austin, TX.
The thing about the Old 97's, though, is that they're really not that country. Sure, they got the twangy Telecasters and Merle Haggard covers and punch-line lyrics, but Miller is a pop songsmith at heart and he could just as easily fit into the Ben Kweller camp. He played up both personalities to great effect during the band's two-hour set, pogoing around the stage for the pop numbers and retreating into crooner mode for a his fan-favorite solo rendition of "Question" (I, for one, would have damn sure married the first person who asked me at the end of that tearjerker).
The frosting on a mostly hits-centered show was the handful of new tracks that the band auditioned. It takes guts to try out a still-simmering solo number written just a few days prior, but Miller nailed it and the audience ate it up (memo to the Violent Femmes). The headband-clad singer reported that the band is headed to the studio to record its first new record in three years.
The only lyrics that the audience didn't sing along to last night were the new ones and a verse to "Question" that Miller audibled in French. Like the group's 2005 live record Alive and Wired promises, the Old 97's still put on one of the best shows in the biz.
Two views of Rhett:
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nice review richard...
i was so hoping for a pic of the bandana...you did not disappoint.
what, no review of openers, the drams? i know you were there richard :)
but all in all fantastic review...i had an absolute blast and can't wait till both bands get back to town (hopefully not 13 years later like the last time old 97's!)
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