Only the can bring so many whiskey-soaked songs of the southland to one venue. That’s the scene that filled the on Friday for the first of a two-night run.
When Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood take the stage as the two front men of the Drive-By Truckers, they bring a band that seems to be traveling from two different directions. Cooley’s traditional southern drawl and deep voice provides well-crafted concise songs, while Hood’s songs are full of raspy emotion and cater to meandering solos and directionless jam sessions. While different, these two styles travel to a common destination, and these two musicians are having a drunken blast the entire trip. This was the case throughout the 28-song set.
While Cooley blazes into songs like “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac,” “Marry Me” and “Where The Devil Don’t Stay,” Hood eases the audience into his songs, usually with long drawn out explanations before starting. At times it’s hard to hear these “story teller” moments by Hood. But if you can sift your way through the crowd noise, the narratives provide a welcome explanation for songs like “Feb 14” and “Road Cases.”
Differences aside, the two songwriter combination works out well. In a world where it’s getting harder to find that distinction between roots rock and country western, the two styles give the Drive-By Truckers a sound to call their own and a place at the top of their genre.
SET LIST FOR APRIL 12:
Lookout Mountain
A Ghost to Most
Heathens
Sounds Better in the Song
(Something’s Got To) Give Pretty Soon
Get Downtown
Drag The Lake Charlie
Where The Devil Don’t Stay
Tornadoes
Women Without Whiskey
Box of Spiders
Carl Perkins’ Cadillac
Feb 14
Marry Me
Sink Hole
Uncle Frank
Road Cases
Self Destructive Zones
Play It All Night Long
(Warren Zevon cover)
Love Like This
The Company I Keep
Zip City
Encore:
Birthday Boy
Girls Who Smoke
Three Dimes Down
A World Of Hurt
Shut Up And Get On The Plane
People Who Died
(The Jim Carroll Band cover)
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Evan Semón is a Denver freelance writer and photographer and regular contributor to Reverb. See .
