The Opera House was packed to the rafters during the Drive-By Truckers show, and from the balcony I spotted quite a number of bald spots. Not to say that the audience was entirely from the over-the-hill demographic. I had skinny-jeaned hipsters to the right of me and plaid-shirted 30-year-olds to the left. Besides, when Drive-By Truckers took the stage, the varied ages of the show-goers didn't matter; beers were raised all around to greet the long-standing Georgia group.
The quintet launched into a song perfect for the band's tour-intensive history. During "The Living Bubba," the entire group accompanied Patterson Hood for the weary refrain, "I can't die now 'cuz I got another show to do."
Mike Cooley (guitar/vocals), Patterson Hood (guitar/vocals), Brad Morgan (drums), John Neff (pedal steel/guitar), and Shonna Tucker (bass/vocals) performed a tight set that showcased the band's particular blend of Southern rock. Their songs tell the stories of traveling musicians, small-town folks, and people just trying to get by.
Early into the night, the band launched into songs from Brighter Than Creation's Dark. The haunting "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" combines a life-after-death story with banjo and pedal steel.
Although many of their songs are laced with wistfulness, Drive-By Truckers can bring the house down with heavier tunes too. After Tucker's poignant "I'm Sorry Huston," the band shifted effortlessly into the more rambunctious "Sink Hole."
Just as hard and just as passionate was "Puttin' People on the Moon." The band played at full force, thundering alongside Hood as he sang a gut-wrenching song about cancer, working at Wal-Mart, and making ends meet while the government is concerned with "turnin' mountains into oceans, puttin' people on the moon."
Drive-By Truckers don't use their music to preach; but no matter what they sang, the motley crowd at the Opera House was eager to listen.
- by Monika
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