Concert Review Number 7: The Old 97's At The Pageant

The Old 97’s rocked the Pageant on July 10th. They had not been to twon in couple of years but just to hear Rhett Miller sing you do not want to miss them. At this point you have no choice but to embrace the Pageant. With the closing of Mississippi Nights it is really all that is left in any kind of BIG room type environemnt. I mean the Duck Room and Off Boradway are great but... sometimes a band can only fit in the BIG ROOM.

It was a typical Pageant show....doors at 7, opener at 8, headliner at 9...well done by 11:00. It is not a bad formula and it is good for old people and it was an old person show. You can tell it is an old persons show when it is “all ages” and the only under 21 area is off to one wing and the floor in front of the band is over 21. Anyway...it was nice to be able to stand down on the floor with a beer. It was not a big show because they closed the balcony...I guess in order to make it more “intimate.” As I said the crowd was...old. A lot of people 25-45...trying to look and be hip and like me...failing. Still, it is nice to see several hundred people out to see a show.

The Drams opened up and Brent Best brought us the best of Denton Texas all the way up to St. Louis. Best and two of the Drams were in one of my favorite old bands Slobberbone but Best abandoned the bad name and a difficult sideman to form the Drams two years ago. They are good. he plays a mean Neil Young lead and gets plenty of noise and distortion without a lot of effects...just a nice intentionally sloppy style. he did throw one out for me though playing my favorite trailer muder ballad “I can tell your love is waning.” It made my night early. They played a very economical set of about 8 songs...and they were off.

Rhett Miller brought the Old 97’s out on time and Murray Hammond and Ken Bethea all were in good form. Bethea is a great guitarist for this band but his chops have not grown a lick in 10 years. I love the guy to death but... you got to grow. Murray sand a few of his songs and the play list was fairly predictable. the fact is that these guys have not done a lot in the last 5 years. Millers solo albums...first one good, second one...not so... have taken up most of his time and it does not lead for a lot of new music.

Still...I love em. I would pay to hear Rhett sing the phone book and when he came out with bandana across his forehead (which only increased the Johnny Depp look he works at) he made everyone melt. Barrier reff, Melt Show, Big Brown Eyes, Buick City Complex, West texas tear Drops, Mama Tried....on and on. Sweet short songs, great vocals, jangly guitar and a rock solid beat. But it begged the question, what have you done for me lately? The band's set list hasn't really changed that much since 2001. Even toward the end of the show, you could easily predict the final three songs. Would Rhett Miller and company end it with "Timebomb"? The suspense is killing me! Or not.

The set ended and for the first encore Rhett came out and did three solo songs. It was a nice break and he is a more then adequate guitarist and he sampled his two albums. He writes great hooks and has excellent pop instincts and i think everyone was left wanting a little more before the band joined up and finished it out strong. A little predictable...a little too pleasant...but, still...it was a great show and we saw a lot of friends there and it is a blessing to be able to go rock on a Tuesday night. Smiles for everyone and we will wait for the fall and see if they come out with a new CD and a new tour. They need some quality new material and I think they will deliver.