Old 97's

Old 97's / June 13th, 2008 / Richard's On Richards / Vancouver, Canada

Not since the British retro pop group, The Pipettes performed at the Plaza Club last fall, had the city of Vancouver witnessed a concert which progressed at as blistering a pace as that set by the Dallas, Texas based rock band, the Old 97’s, on June 13th, at Richard's On Richards, in downtown Vancouver. Fronted by the duo of singer / guitarist Rhett Miller and bass player / singer Murry Hammond, the band launched into their set with the upbeat melodic rock lines to “The Fool,” a song from their new release, Blame It On Gravity. The stoked crowd, who were already pressing the stage, was moving to the music, before this tune was more than a few bars old.

The band, which also consists of guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer / percussionist Philip Peeples, never seemed to tire, despite the fact they never stopped cavorting about the stage, punctuated by some high leg kicks from Miller, during the song, “New Kid.” The Old 97’s high-powered performance was just one stop on a lengthy tour, in support of their new album Blame It On Gravity, which was released in May. They played eight songs from the new disc and spotted in old favorites such as, “Rollerskate Skinny,” “New Kid,” and “Victoria,” all of which originally appeared on their 2005 CD Alive And Wired, and resurfaced on Hit By A Train: The Best of Old 97’s released in 2006, as well as “Barrier Reef,” which came out on the 1997 CD Too Far To Care. “Rollerskate Skinny,” is a good wiggle your butt and move your feet kind of song.

One of the prettiest songs Old 97’s performed was, “The Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue,” a tune which comes across as Cold Play (minus the piano) meets Blue Rodeo. Unlike most of their songs which were driven by heavy guitar riffs, “The Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue,” is more languid and reflective. Hammond’s vocals were more in the forefront on this song and personally, it left me wanting to hear him a prominent vocal role during future outings.

Miller comes across on stage as the bad boy of the group and lines like those in “Barrier Reef,” that refer to him as a relationship serial killer, do nothing to dispel that notion. The rock ballad possesses a lazy rhythm, heavy beats by stickman Peeples, and some excellent chording by both guitarists and Hammond.

Miller and Hammond harmonized beautifully on another of the band’s new tunes “My Two Feet,” from Blame It On Gravity. If the provocative rock song “Question,” and the frenzied riffs of “Big,” owe their success to guitars, then “My Two Feet,” can point to the vocal harmonies as the reason why this song works so well.

Old 97’s dipped into the past once more and resurrected fan favorite “Victoria,” a toxic love ballad, hewn from Wreck Your Life, the band’s 1996 release. The lyrics speak to codependency and the singer grimly explores just how bad (dare we call it love) can sometimes be, “This is the story of Victoria Lee / She started off on Percodan and ended up with me / She live in Berkeley ‘til the earthquake shook her loose / She lives in Texas now where nothin’ ever moves.”

Old 97’s fans were treated to some fabulous and blistering licks from Peeples, Miller and Hammond as they brought their concert to an end with the song, “The Easy Way.”

Throughout the month of July Old 97’s will be touring through the southern United States, with gigs in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, before swinging through the American northeast. In late September, the band will play the Austin City Limits Festival, in Austin Texas.

Riveting Riffs wishes to thank Live Nation for making it possible for us to review this Gig

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Reviewed June 13th, 2008