Old 97s Rocking the Wellmont

Co-headlining bands Old 97’s and Drive-By Truckers brought the house down March 16, 2013 at Montclair’s Wellmont Theater.

Old 97s bring it to Montclair.

Saturday night, March 16, was filled with rocking music and killer instrumentals as the Old 97s took the stage.

The band, Old 97s, composed of lead vocalist Ken Bethea, Rhett Miller the lead guitarist and background vocalists Phillip Peeples and Murry Hammond, came out strong and opened with “Barrier Reef.” The song definitely got the crowd going-a great start to the show.

Stage lights
© Unweit | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Old 97s performed songs from The Great Theater, Too Fare to Care, Blame it On Gravity and Wreck Your Life. “Perfume,” “Victoria” and “No Baby” started the show off right. Their instrumentals were by far the highlight of their set.

The Texas natives also performed their most well known songs “Timebomb,” which the crowd really got into, and “Question,” which the audience went wild for. Aside from the songs mentioned, the concert-goers were really polite with their applause, which was unexpected.

After a set of about 14 songs, the Old 97s left the stage, not without thanking the Wellmont and each other of course. Following, there was a brief intermission. When the lights dimmed, the crowd went absolutely nuts.

Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Brad Morgan, Jay Gonzalez and Matt Patton, better known as the Drive-By Truckers, came out on stage greeted by hundreds of fans. Their set kicked off with “Get Downtown,” a great way to start off the show.

The show went on, although it sounded like just an instrumental show most of the time because the voices were not nearly as loud as they should have been, whether it was because of the band or equipment is unknown. It did take away from the show itself a bit, but not so much that it was any less fun. And the crowd was definitely having fun.

Other songs performed included “Why Henry Drinks,” “Space City,” Women Without Whiskey” and Self Destructive Zones.”

When the set ended, the crowd demanded the band come back for more-and more they got. The Drive-By Truckers graced the stage once more for five encores. An awesome way to end their second performance at the Wellmont.

All in all both bands were great, and the night rocked.

Copyright © 2013, The Montclair Dispatch

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