An emotional relationship with a recording artist/band is, most often, a losing proposition. Falling in love with an act and expecting some type of reciprocal emotional fulfillment/quid pro quo contract defies any sort of logic. I think most of us have noticed by now that it’s a pretty brutal world filled with systemic disenfranchisement of the working class and people that are killed daily because of their identity group or being on the wrong piece of real estate. Any iota of faith that we can collectively gin up should never be invested in something as stupid as a goddamn rock ‘n’ roll band. Yet, here I was five years ago, thinking the Drive-By Truckers were some kind of extra innings saviors of rock music. I loved them because they were Southern and because they were smart and because they wrote from a literary perspective and because they rocked with joyous abandon. I don’t think the band I feel in love with still exists.
The first net loss for the DBTs was when Jason Isbell left/was fired way back in 2007. His songwriting contributions were limited, but exceptional. It took him several years to get his personal and professional life together, but now he is receiving the recognition he deserves as one of the most talented artists of his generation. Isbell was replaced with John Neff, a gifted multi-instrumentalist but not a writer. In 2011 and 2012 both longtime bassist Shonna Tucker and Neff left the group citing creative and personal unhappiness. One on hand, no big deal because being a constantly touring musician must be a brutal lifestyle. Alternately, you could view it as proof that Patterson Hood’s constant claims of internal band harmony were probably more public relations material than based upon real mutual respect.
So, where does that leave us onstage in 2014? For the live act, if we can all be honest with each other, Tucker’s absence isn’t that important. Bassist Matt Patton still has the same unique look and stage presence that he had when I saw him in 2008 as a member of The Dexateens – hunched over all night, head constantly bobbing, world’s biggest smile, weird 1974 era Dazed and Confused teenage haircut, perspiration pouring off of him like rain. He looks more like a younger brother than an equal partner. Neff’s guitar parts are now performed by keyboardist Jay Gonzalez and that’s a net loss; Gonzalez simply isn’t as gifted on the instrument and lacks Neff’s ability to take the band from exciting to europhic. Bigger problem – there has been a step backwards in terms of creativity and inspiration in the band’s studio output since 2010.
The format was the usual trade off between Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley for each song. Cooley’s a true guitar hero; he can do more with his right thumb than most musicians do with both hands. His switching between guitar effects could be jarring within the same song and he can be pretty lazy on the mike. It’s about rock ‘n’ roll feel with Cooley, who is the closest thing to Keith Richards that Alabama will ever produce. The Stones-ish “Shit Shot Counts” was fantastic and their moonshine classic “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” was just as good. I’ve never seen the teenage lust/angst anthem “Zip City” fall flat, but Cooley put nothing into the vocal last night. The big problem is that much of his newer material, like the verbose “English Oceans” and the folk/Americana “Pulaski,” simply doesn’t work well in a live setting and within the context of the band’s big hard rock sound.
Patterson Hood is a Springsteen like true believer and grand showman – dropping to his knees for solos, giving his coming of age Alabama monologues, making sweeping gestures for dramatic effect. His class warfare casualty in “Puttin’ People on the Moon” and his music saved my life testimony in “Let There Be Rock,” which was dedicated to Dallas bands Slobberbone and Centro-Matic, were as powerful as ever. “Grand Canyon,” the final encore is structured to be an epic, but fell well short of its intentions. It was a hit or miss show that never sustained momentum.
Sometimes you come to bitter conclusions with lost loves. The 2014 version of the Drive-By Truckers can no longer compete with their own past either in the studio or on stage. They are almost trapped by their former greatness, because they can neither effectively replicate the band they were on Southern Rock Opera and Decoration Day, but they also haven’t proven they can move forward in a compelling new artistic direction.
Grade – B
Setlist:
Primer Coat
Pauline Hawkins
Gravity’s Gone
Puttin’ People on the Moon
English Oceans
The Righteous Path
A Ghost to Most
Goode’s Field Road
Sounds Better in a Song
Tornadoes
Shit Shot Counts
Lookout Mountain
Pulaski
Box of Spiders
Where the Devil Don’t Stay
Hell No, I Ain’t Happy
Encore:
Marry Me
Let There Be Rock
Zip City
Grand Canyon
