Old 97's Concert Review

I was a passing fan of the Old 97's meaning I had the Hit By Train compilation. I enjoyed their music but didn't feel the need to own everything. Well, this show changed my mind about them and to a lesser extent the venue as well.

They didn't rely on the songs from Hit By a Train as much as I thought they would. They did play all of my favorites. In fact, I would have been happy if I only got to watch them play "Rollerskate Skinny." However, not being familiar with most of the material actually made me enjoy the show and songwriting talents of Mr. Miller and co. even more. They definitely had the crowd enjoying the show, but I think they were having just as good of time as we were -- if not more. That to me is the test: If the band is enjoying themselves, the crowd and their own music, then how can I not. I budget myself to two cd's a month. Want to guess what band is going to be the one who is receiving my money?

Sleepercar was good enough also for me to want to discover more about them. Learning that Ward was in At the Drive In is a good start. I didn't know who was opening for the Old 97's since my going was a gametime decision basically. I'll explore hypem.com to learn more about them, and if I like what I hear I'll spend the money on them as well. Acatually, with the very notable exception of Radiohead opening for R.E.M., they were best opening band I've seen.

As for the House of Blues, I finally truly enjoyed a show there. I've seen Paul Westerberg twice there...and honestly I would enjoy watching Paul Westerberg anywhere he performs but I would rather it not be the House of Blues. I've also seen Ryan Adams there. He had one of his tantrums during that show, but the crowd deserved it. He was putting on a great show, but too many comp tickets and maybe it was an all-ages show that put a damper on it. It was hard to hear the band play, forget the acoustic numbers. I know that's partly Ryan's fault, but I also blame the comps. However, the Old 97's didn't have that problem as badly (acoustic numbers can still be hard to hear). Basically, this is my plea to HoB concert patrons...if you really don't like the band or if you don't know how to be respectful and shut up so I can enjoy what my hard earned money has paid for then please stay home. Please.