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Review: |
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I'm angry. I'm pissed off. Why? Does it really bloody well
matter? Probably not. But here goes: leaving aside all personal and
work related weirdness, thus far in 2002 I've tried to see bands I
normally don't encounter. And let me tell you, I haven't been
impressed. And it's left me in something of a funk with regards to
the Atlanta music scene. So, in order to restore my faith in local
music, I decided to wander out and see two of my old favorites: The
Drive By Truckers and The Possibilities.
Even before the music started, I knew the evening was fraught
with potential difficulties:
- the venue -- Smith's Olde Bar -- attracts a crowd that's a
little too suburban for my tastes
- those afore-mentioned crowds are usually somewhat ill behaved:
groping women, stepping on toes, and generally being drunk and
obnoxious
- the bar doesn't have either draft beer or PBR, two beverages
that normally flow like water at the concerts I usually attend.
But, in the quest for good music, certain indignities must be
endured.
And I was very pleased when The Possibilities hit the stage and
began with a very loud, but solid version of the title track from
their forthcoming album, Way Out!. From there, they
continued on in the same vein, with the usual loud jangling guitars
of Kevin Lane and Chris Grehan being pulled along by the drumming of
Matt Lane and the bass of Bob Spires. And above it all, the keyboard
playing of Jason Gonzales added a nice touch, connecting The
Possibilities' music with the Pet Sounds-era sound
that influences the so much.
However, as much as I genuinely like The Possibilities, I have to
confess that things got a little sloppy as the set progressed. I
suppose some of this was because it was apparent that the band
members couldn't hear each other on stage. More importantly, they
were playing without a setlist, and the lack of forethought slowed
their musical progression down. Similarly, towards the end of their
set, the music itself seemed slowed down, as if the band was a
little tired and lacked the energy to punch it up as much as they
previously had. Still, they managed to pull it all together at the
end with a loud rocking cover of The Rolling Stones' Let's Spend
The Night Together, reminding me that this is one of the few
bands that can cover such classics without sounding stupid.
After The Possibilities left the stage, the crowd packed in more,
leaving us with little room to breathe (much less move). On the
whole, they seemed a little drunk and unruly (as one might expect at
a Drive By Truckers show) and wholly unprepared to deal with the
rather substantial delay that occurred after The Truckers set up.
But eventually the band took the stage, and the music began. And, if
you judged by the people around me, The Truckers played one of their
best shows ever. Everyone screamed and sang along with the older
favorites; people laughed at the anecdotes the band told. They
seemed to listen to the few newer songs; only a couple of people
were overtly rude and pushed their way to the front. In short, they
were dancing and hooting and spilling beer and having a great
time.
But, you see, I've seen The Truckers many times before, and I can
tell you this was nothing special. Sure, the band was energetic and
the music was solid, but much of the playing seemed like it was
being done by rote. It was a concert with a recipe: first, start off
with Steve McQueen, then go into Don't Be In Love.
Don't forget to add Buttholeville for spice. Shake with a
cover, then serve with a nice helping of the Southern Rock Opera.
This isn't too surprising, if one considers the band has been
touring fairly steadily for a long while. And I have to confess, as
I said above, I don't think anyone in the crowd noticed. They were
too busy buying into the rock to notice the nuance of performance,
and everyone seemed a little sad when the long set came to an
end.
Still, even a mediocre concert by The Drive By Truckers is better
than most of the tripe I've been seeing recently. Likewise, even
though The Possibilities seemed a little off at times, their music
made me happier than any of the new bands I've encountered thus far
this year. So I might rank this show rather low, but it's against
the overall potential of the bands. And I now have a new mantra:
avoid Smith's Olde Bar at any cost. |
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