Little Rock? Yes, Little Rock! April 13th

[John A Arkansawyer]

I'm not sure just when this show crawled onto the schedule, but it came at a good time. I was just wishing a fond farewell to my pencilled-in plans to hit Texas for the shows that week, and thinking pretty hard about whether I could even make it out to Cain's that week. (The week after Homecoming was not a good week for me. At all.) So this is out on the edge of town at some place called the Metroplex and is being promoted by the same folks that, at some point, ran Juanita's, or so it appears when I look on the site. They're a newish venue in town, at least to me.

So who else is coming to Little Rock, of which Patterson Hood says, "Growing fond of this strange little city", for the ROCK SHOW?

[porkulator]

Me and the Missus are in. Isn't that the old Clear Channel building? At one time a Sams Club? If it shuts down might become an Old Navy.

[hogfan]

hogfan will be there. hope to find the sweet spot in this venue and pull a good recording. sounds like a pretty good sized joint, no?

[John A Arkansawyer]

Here's the note I sent to our choir:

Why I'm missing choir practice this week

And you know the only thing I like better than practice is performance, but: The Drive-By Truckers are playing that night at Metroplex. I have to put my spirituality over my religion from time to time and this is one of those times. I strongly encourage any of you with sufficiently good earplugs--they are loud, especially if you are right down front where you can get some sweat from the best touring rock band of our time on you--and a curiosity about what grabs my heart and won't let it go to unroll that twenty and buy you a ticket. Here's a moderately well-recorded video of the encore from the last show they played here, at the Rev Room, in October, where they premiered their song about the school shooting in Oregon. It leads off with the song I personally would have chosen to represent Happiness this month, "Hell No, I Ain't Happy"! By the way, when Patterson varies from the lyrics to talk about playing through a power outage here in Little Rock, well, that was the show I MISSED DAMMIT because I was at General Assembly, which I got to just too late to seem them open for Tom Petty there in Minneapolis.

I've learned the hard way that every time I pick them over religion, I regret it later on. So I'm sorry about missing practice, but they are playing at the top of their game and are touring behind great new politically outspoken material for September's album, so, in the spirit of Lee Bains' (another current hero) question "Would you go to service with me Sunday Morning if I took you to church on Saturday Night?", I'm skipping service for church. I hope to see some of you with me there at the ROCK SHOW!

[John A Arkansawyer]

Me and the Missus are in. Isn't that the old Clear Channel building? At one time a Sams Club? If it shuts down might become an Old Navy.

Sure is, sure was, and sure might be someday.

[walthers]

Here's the note I sent to our choir:

Why I'm missing choir practice this week

And you know the only thing I like better than practice is performance, but: The Drive-By Truckers are playing that night at Metroplex. I have to put my spirituality over my religion from time to time and this is one of those times. I strongly encourage any of you with sufficiently good earplugs--they are loud, especially if you are right down front where you can get some sweat from the best touring rock band of our time on you--and a curiosity about what grabs my heart and won't let it go to unroll that twenty and buy you a ticket. Here's a moderately well-recorded video of the encore from the last show they played here, at the Rev Room, in October, where they premiered their song about the school shooting in Oregon. It leads off with the song I personally would have chosen to represent Happiness this month, "Hell No, I Ain't Happy"! By the way, when Patterson varies from the lyrics to talk about playing through a power outage here in Little Rock, well, that was the show I MISSED DAMMIT because I was at General Assembly, which I got to just too late to seem them open for Tom Petty there in Minneapolis.

I've learned the hard way that every time I pick them over religion, I regret it later on. So I'm sorry about missing practice, but they are playing at the top of their game and are touring behind great new politically outspoken material for September's album, so, in the spirit of Lee Bains' (another current hero) question "Would you go to service with me Sunday Morning if I took you to church on Saturday Night?", I'm skipping service for church. I hope to see some of you with me there at the ROCK SHOW!

That is one of the best posts Ive read in awhile. Honest, to the point, and it makes sense. Im not a church going guy but I am baptisted and I get it. I have always said shows are my church; my spiritual place to come together in mind, body and soul. I hope some folks from your church decide to go and see what it is all about. Good for you John.

[John A Arkansawyer]

That is one of the best posts Ive read in awhile. Honest, to the point, and it makes sense. Im not a church going guy but I am baptisted and I get it. I have always said shows are my church; my spiritual place to come together in mind, body and soul. I hope some folks from your church decide to go and see what it is all about. Good for you John.

Well, thanks! I'm trying my best. One or two people might come. Our director of religious education is interested, as are a couple of choir members. Most of them won't, and that's okay. We skew old. I did get a few of them to see Patterson talk and play at the Clinton Library, though the sound there wasn't too good, so that was only partially successful.

It's that getting together part that makes a thing church or religion for me. You can be spiritual on your own. If you want religion or church*, that takes other people. Not to compare fandom with religion, I must add--I don't think there's anything particularly divine about any artist. They're just people. But spirituality as I know it is searching for deep meaning and making what you don't find, being connected to creation and the world and the people in it. That's something you do get from art. I think you get it especially from music, which more than any other art form goes straight through the mind to the heart and the gut and the groin, and from story, which binds culture and existence through time. As I understand it.

*In the sense of a congregation. In the sense of a sanctuary or a cathedral, some crowds and some venues, like some rivers and some woodlands, are just exactly that.

[walthers]

Yes, what I was speaking to is that attending the concert with people that are there for the same reasons are what I am talking about. Very much a congregation that gives me a strong sense of unity and togetherness. That was one of the first things I noticed when I was young and started attending shows.

[jr29]

Here's the note I sent to our choir:

Why I'm missing choir practice this week

And you know the only thing I like better than practice is performance, but: The Drive-By Truckers are playing that night at Metroplex. I have to put my spirituality over my religion from time to time and this is one of those times. I strongly encourage any of you with sufficiently good earplugs--they are loud, especially if you are right down front where you can get some sweat from the best touring rock band of our time on you--and a curiosity about what grabs my heart and won't let it go to unroll that twenty and buy you a ticket. Here's a moderately well-recorded video of the encore from the last show they played here, at the Rev Room, in October, where they premiered their song about the school shooting in Oregon. It leads off with the song I personally would have chosen to represent Happiness this month, "Hell No, I Ain't Happy"! By the way, when Patterson varies from the lyrics to talk about playing through a power outage here in Little Rock, well, that was the show I MISSED DAMMIT because I was at General Assembly, which I got to just too late to seem them open for Tom Petty there in Minneapolis.

I've learned the hard way that every time I pick them over religion, I regret it later on. So I'm sorry about missing practice, but they are playing at the top of their game and are touring behind great new politically outspoken material for September's album, so, in the spirit of Lee Bains' (another current hero) question "Would you go to service with me Sunday Morning if I took you to church on Saturday Night?", I'm skipping service for church. I hope to see some of you with me there at the ROCK SHOW!

That's great.

[benjaminx]

we'll be there!

[John A Arkansawyer]

Do any of you all know where there's a good eating place within walking distance? The best I can think of is American Pie for pizza. They're good enough, but I had pizza for lunch. Since the car is still bro--um, not running, I'm busing out and taxiing back home, so walking distance is a must.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Screw it. I'm tired of trying to make Oracle and Microsoft play with each other. They can sit and stew in timeout while I head out to the ROCK SHOW! If you see me, say hello. I might be in Tangier...but I'll probably be in that strange little city.

[John A Arkansawyer]

First!

[John A Arkansawyer]

Pptom
Www
Rcases
72
Bham
Ootd
Shole
SSC
Utbac
Space city
Phawk

[John A Arkansawyer]

3dd

[John A Arkansawyer]

3dd
Tcik
Panties

[Zip City]

hot damn

[John A Arkansawyer]

Heathens
Ghost

[John A Arkansawyer]

Gfr
Devil

[John A Arkansawyer]

Gfr
Devil
Hell no

[John A Arkansawyer]

Encore

Zip
Grand Canyon

[John A Arkansawyer]

Always go to the show! Best. Setlist. Ever. And I got the first song wrong first time around:

Plastic Flowers on the Highway
Women Without Whiskey
Road Cases
72 (This Highway's Mean)
Birmingham
One Of These Days
Sinkhole
Shit Shots Count
Used To Be A Cop
Space City
Pauline Hawkins
Three Dimes Down
The Company I Keep
Panties In Your Purse
Heathens
A Ghost to Most
Goode's Field Road (the best version I've heard heard in person. Jay and Cooley together right before Patterson tells the story, which he did so well, and Brad hitting the toms)
Where the Devil Don't Stay
Hell No, I'm Not Happy

Encore:

Zip City
Grand Canyon (Jay's solo right before his walk-off was off the hook)

All I could have asked for was some of the new stuff, but between Plastic Flowers and Birmingham, I cannot complain. They really do like our strange little city. Patterson is thinking about getting an apartment here since he's here so often, and Cooley saw squirrel chase a chipmunk up a rock. What more do you want?

Many thanks to Hogfan for the CDs of the last show--and I hate to tell you technical difficulties kept him from taping tonight--and to Mister and Missus Porkulator for the company and the beer. This was a very good night.

[Smitty]

no new ones?

[John A Arkansawyer]

no new ones?

My only complaint. I was all ready to sing along with Compelled But Not Defeated, too.

[porkulator]

Always go to the show! Best. Setlist. Ever. And I got the first song wrong first time around:

Plastic Flowers on the Highway
Women Without Whiskey
Road Cases
72 (This Highway's Mean)
Birmingham
One Of These Days
Sinkhole
Shit Shots Count
Used To Be A Cop
Space City
Pauline Hawkins
Three Dimes Down
The Company I Keep
Panties In Your Purse
Heathens
A Ghost to Most
Goode's Field Road (the best version I've heard heard in person. Jay and Cooley together right before Patterson tells the story, which he did so well, and Brad hitting the toms)
Where the Devil Don't Stay
Hell No, I'm Not Happy

Encore:

Zip City
Grand Canyon (Jay's solo right before his walk-off was off the hook)

All I could have asked for was some of the new stuff, but between Plastic Flowers and Birmingham, I cannot complain. They really do like our strange little city. Patterson is thinking about getting an apartment here since he's here so often, and Cooley saw squirrel chase a chipmunk up a rock. What more do you want?

Many thanks to Hogfan for the CDs of the last show--and I hate to tell you technical difficulties kept him from taping tonight--and to Mister and Missus Porkulator for the company and the beer. This was a very good night.

A very good night indeed.A small, but appreciative crowd in what I thought is a great sounding room.I'm looking forward to more shows there.Just hope management promotes a little better.Good to see you again JohnA and Hogfan as well.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Now that I've slept on it, a couple more observations. I guess there might be a longer set list that would be better, but for its length, I don't know what it'd be. It is a shame there wasn't at least one new song. I was especially jonesing for two of Cooley's and the one of Patterson's I haven't heard. But again, taken as a whole, I can't imagine a better set list. And I saw something completely unusual. Just before...um, Used To Be A Cop or Pauline Hawkins, I'm not sure which, Patterson paused, turned to Jay, and sort of laughed and said, "What do you want to play?" And I also noticed that during the verse about Stanley in Birmingham, and during Used To Be A Cop and Goode's Field Road, Matt looked angry and mournful.

I'm feeling very motivated to find a way to Cain's in Tulsa Sunday night.

ETA: It was during Birmingham, when I realized we'd gotten two great Cooley songs sandwiched among three of Patterson's best, all from Southern Rock Opera, and that the only one we hear frequently out of the batch was Women Without Whiskey, that the "Best. Setlist. Ever." thought came to mind.

[hogfan]

Wow- what a nice time last night. As John A mentioned, a really nice venue with plenty of room to bob and weave amongst the rail. So good to meet Sir John A, the Porkulator and his lovely bride. I finally got to hang with the cool kids. I know the three of you plan to travel shortly - take care while chasing that Muscle Shoals sound. I certainly hope to bump into you folks on the rail next time. See you soon!

[porkulator]

I finally got to hang with the cool kids.

I don't know about all that.
It was a really good time though.

[brett27295]

A very interesting and slightly unusual setlist. Would love to hear Plastic Flowers and Birmingham. Looks like One of These Days is becoming a semi-regular again, which is nice. Really surprised you guys didn't get any new songs.

[benjaminx]

great show. i think they might have pre-partied a bit more than they do these days. Patterson did not talk much at all and Cooley made the comment about them sitting out back all day. when they play downtown they get out and mingle around the rivermarkert and whatnot, but i think they just posted up at the venue all afternoon and kicked it. the runs from Road Cases - Sinkhole and Company i keep - Ghost were both bad ass