Heathens Homecoming 2024

[Clams]

I had been greatly looking forward to the opening set by The Paranoid Style but I was also a bit concerned about how their very wordy, quirky and clever songs would translate to the live stage and I have to say that while it was exciting to see them (especially with the estimable Peter Holsapple on guitar) those concerns were well founded. I don't understand why the vocals (i.e. the lyrics) which are the raison d'etre of this band were so low in the mix. Still, I am glad I got to see the band live.

Agree with this. I love Elizabth Nelson's writing but I'm just not able to keep up with all the rapid-fire cultural and political references in her lyrics. I think she's just too damn smart for a mere mortal like myself, lol. But her band, which was populated by several attorneys (just you'd expect if you're a regular reader of the Lawyers Guns & Money blog), was really great and I did love her sardonic, eye rolling delivery last night.

[Howlinwolf]

DBT – Feb 15 2024 – 40 Watt Club - Athens Georgia

1. Life in the Factory
2. Shut Up and Get on the Plane
3. (Something's Got to) Give Pretty Soon
4. Women Without Whiskey
5. The Sands of Iwo Jima
6. One of These Days
7. Wallace
8. 72 (This Highway's Mean)
9. Lookout Mountain
10. Gravity's Gone
11. Buttholeville / State Trooper
12. Sounds Better in the Song
13. Mercy Buckets
14. Birthday Boy
15. The Righteous Path
16. 3 Dimes Down
17. Tales Facing Up
18. Every Single Storied Flameout
19. Goode's Field Road
20. Maria's Awful Disclosure
21. The Driver
22. Uncle Frank
23. Heathens
24. Marry Me
25. Grand Canyon

[cortez the killer]

DBT – Feb 15 2024 – 40 Watt Club - Athens Georgia

1. Life in the Factory
2. Shut Up and Get on the Plane
3. (Something's Got to) Give Pretty Soon
4. Women Without Whiskey
5. The Sands of Iwo Jima
6. One of These Days
7. Wallace
8. 72 (This Highway's Mean)
9. Lookout Mountain
10. Gravity's Gone
11. Buttholeville / State Trooper
12. Sounds Better in the Song
13. Mercy Buckets
14. Birthday Boy
15. The Righteous Path
16. 3 Dimes Down
17. Tales Facing Up
18. Every Single Storied Flameout
19. Goode's Field Road
20. Maria's Awful Disclosure
21. The Driver
22. Uncle Frank
23. Heathens
24. Marry Me
25. Grand Canyon

No "Zip City." Gotta be a rarity for a post-SRO rock show.

[HeathenHawg]

Looking for 2 for tonight if anybody has extras

[beantownbubba]

No "Zip City." Gotta be a rarity for a post-SRO rock show.

There was that one stretch, i want to say in the mid-2010's when Cooley dropped it from the set for a few months. But other than that, 2 zipless shows in a row is fairly rare i think.

[RedCelt]

DBT – Feb 17 2024 – 40 Watt Club - Athens Georgia

The Southern Thing
Carl Perkins' Cadillac
Drag the Lake Charlie
3 Dimes Down
The Company I Keep
A Ghost to Most
Used to Be a Cop
Women Without Whiskey
18 Wheels of Love
Sounds Better in the Song
The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town
Gravity's Gone
Hell No, I Ain't Happy
Marry Me
Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus)
One of These Days
Steve McQueen
Self Destructive Zones
Play It All Night Long
Surrender Under Protest
The KKK Took My Baby Away
Let There Be Rock
Zip City
Rockin' in the Free World
People Who Died

[beantownbubba]

i assume it's no surprise to anyone that my dead* son, Bryan, is always with me, but sometimes he's more with me than at other times and this week has been one of those "more" times, so this 38 word capsule review is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Max Bernfeld : I have come to realize that almost everything about the Drive By Truckers can be boiled down to "The Southern Thing." Since they opened with that one tonight, the show was destined to be transcendent and it was.

* Sorry but I'm not much into euphemisms for things that matter.

When the band opened w/ "Southern Thing" I was immediately reminded of a thrilling show DBT played in Portland, ME the first time they ever played in Maine. They opened with "The Southern Thing" and I remember writing at the time that it felt like a statement of purpose, the throwing down of a gauntlet saying "this is who we are, this is what we represent, and you're either with us or fuck you."** Different environment tonight but it felt the same way: This is who we are and either get on board or get out of the way of the Southern thing 'cause it's gonna roll right over you.

** To the best of my recollection, this is accurate, but no guarantees.

I have spent many hours and probably thousands of words, here and elsewhere, trying to define the difference between a "typically great" DBT show and a truly transcendent, I can't believe I was there, moment in time. Tonight was the very definition of that difference because the first 2 [rock] shows were both on the money great shows but tonight was something noticeably different and i think everyone in the building felt it. If I were the incarnation of the combined skills and insight of Robert Christgau, Greil Marcus and Elizabeth Nelson I am not sure I could adequately describe this show but since "you had to be there" just doesn't cut it, I will apply my meager abilities to the task and we'll see what comes of it.

For sure part of it is the connection, the communication, the buzz between band and fans. It was electric from the first moment and one could almost physically see the band feed off the energy. And that in turn created a "virtuous circle" feedback loop of excitement and energy leaping over the stage/audience barrier. I will be the first to admit that I don't know anything about the traditional African American Protestant Church in America, but I feel like the bond between band and audience, the constant ratcheting up of excitement, energy and an almost religious epiphany that raised the roof is very similar to what I've heard and read about the African American church experience at its best. And really, given the band members' roots, that makes a lot of sense to me as weird as it may seem at first blush. At one point I said it felt like the entire building was going to levitate, and that is the kind of spiritual energy, of religious transcendence, that I associate with the merger of religious fervor, communal experience and the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts that defines the very best DBT shows, of which this was certainly one.

While Jay's guitar work continued to be on a par with his terrific performances earlier in the week, his contributions on keys was very noticeable and compelling tonight, adding to the momentum of the songs and driving them forward. The guitar playing of all 3 players was stellar throughout, rivalling the 3 guitar madness of former times. I've been saying for a long time that "Play it All Night Long" is my favorite DBT cover because it simply sounds like a DBT song. Tonight was no exception. But the band subsequently attacked Beaverdam's favorite cover "Rockin' In the Free World" in a way which made a very good case for "Rockin'" as being every bit as good as "Play It."

Virtually every song was a highlight, as logically absurd as that might sound. "Eighteen Wheels of Love" and "Steve McQueen" from the band's early history certainly fit that description. I think it's pretty clear that viewed through a narrow microscope a line like "he fucked Faye Dunaway and he fucked Ali McGraw" is pretty retrograde and sexist, but I'm sorry, it just isn't. It's a joyous celebration and in the committed performance it transcends things as mundane as political correctness, feminist theory and the like.

I realize I haven't said much if anything about Matt and EZB this week and I have to say the focus seemed to be even more than usual on the "frontmen," but there is no success without their contributions and tonight was no exception. Plus Matt got to shine on his moment in the spotlight with a truly stellar version of "KKK." We also got "Let There Be Rock," "Surrender Under Protest" (bringing American Band back into the mix), a surprisingly less raucous than usual rendition of "GG Allin," "Carl Perkins Cadillac" apparently conjured up at the behest of our resident mollusk, a not as sinister as usual but still compelling "Used to be a Cop," more "deep cuts" like "The Company I Keep" and "Too Much Sex" which brought the crowd to a frenzy and an absolutely over the top kick ass "Hell No I Ain't Happy" (even w/out the "Sign O The Times" segue it was still stunning). I can't say exactly why "Gravity's Gone" was better tonight than it has been during other recent shows, but fuck it, it just was.

Back to back majestic, killer anthems "Let There Be Rock" and "Zip City" both benefited by not having been played earlier in the weekend and the entire end of set "encore," which I define as everything after "KKK" (LTBR, Zip, Rockin' in the Free World and People Who Died) was just an insane adrenaline rush that just built and built and then built some more to a cathartic crescendo which left everybody counting the days until next year's homecoming.

All I'll say about opening act Hans Condor is that a large part of the crowd seemed to really like them, including a number of people whose musical judgment I respect and generally agree with. Go figure.

My understanding based on incomplete knowledge is that the weekend's activities raised about $64K for Nuci's Space.

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

[Mundane Mayhem]

i assume it's no surprise to anyone that my dead* son, Bryan, is always with me, but sometimes he's more with me than at other times and this week has been one of those "more" times, so this 38 word capsule review is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Max Bernfeld : I have come to realize that almost everything about the Drive By Truckers can be boiled down to "The Southern Thing." Since they opened with that one tonight, the show was destined to be transcendent and it was.

* Sorry but I'm not much into euphemisms for things that matter.

When the band opened w/ "Southern Thing" I was immediately reminded of a thrilling show DBT played in Portland, ME the first time they ever played in Maine. They opened with "The Southern Thing" and I remember writing at the time that it felt like a statement of purpose, the throwing down of a gauntlet saying "this is who we are, this is what we represent, and you're either with us or fuck you."** Different environment tonight but it felt the same way: This is who we are and either get on board or get out of the way of the Southern thing 'cause it's gonna roll right over you.

** To the best of my recollection, this is accurate, but no guarantees.

I have spent many hours and probably thousands of words, here and elsewhere, trying to define the difference between a "typically great" DBT show and a truly transcendent, I can't believe I was there, moment in time. Tonight was the very definition of that difference because the first 2 [rock] shows were both on the money great shows but tonight was something noticeably different and i think everyone in the building felt it. If I were the incarnation of the combined skills and insight of Robert Christgau, Greil Marcus and Elizabeth Nelson I am not sure I could adequately describe this show but since "you had to be there" just doesn't cut it, I will apply my meager abilities to the task and we'll see what comes of it.

For sure part of it is the connection, the communication, the buzz between band and fans. It was electric from the first moment and one could almost physically see the band feed off the energy. And that in turn created a "virtuous circle" feedback loop of excitement and energy leaping over the stage/audience barrier. I will be the first to admit that I don't know anything about the traditional African American Protestant Church in America, but I feel like the bond between band and audience, the constant ratcheting up of excitement, energy and an almost religious epiphany that raised the roof is very similar to what I've heard and read about the African American church experience at its best. And really, given the band members' roots, that makes a lot of sense to me as weird as it may seem at first blush. At one point I said it felt like the entire building was going to levitate, and that is the kind of spiritual energy, of religious transcendence, that I associate with the merger of religious fervor, communal experience and the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts that defines the very best DBT shows, of which this was certainly one.

While Jay's guitar work continued to be on a par with his terrific performances earlier in the week, his contributions on keys was very noticeable and compelling tonight, adding to the momentum of the songs and driving them forward. The guitar playing of all 3 players was stellar throughout, rivalling the 3 guitar madness of former times. I've been saying for a long time that "Play it All Night Long" is my favorite DBT cover because it simply sounds like a DBT song. Tonight was no exception. But the band subsequently attacked Beaverdam's favorite cover "Rockin' In the Free World" in a way which made a very good case for "Rockin'" as being every bit as good as "Play It."

Virtually every song was a highlight, as logically absurd as that might sound. "Eighteen Wheels of Love" and "Steve McQueen" from the band's early history certainly fit that description. I think it's pretty clear that viewed through a narrow microscope a line like "he fucked Faye Dunaway and he fucked Ali McGraw" is pretty retrograde and sexist, but I'm sorry, it just isn't. It's a joyous celebration and in the committed performance it transcends things as mundane as political correctness, feminist theory and the like.

I realize I haven't said much if anything about Matt and EZB this week and I have to say the focus seemed to be even more than usual on the "frontmen," but there is no success without their contributions and tonight was no exception. Plus Matt got to shine on his moment in the spotlight with a truly stellar version of "KKK." We also got "Let There Be Rock," "Surrender Under Protest" (bringing American Band back into the mix), a surprisingly less raucous than usual rendition of "GG Allin," "Carl Perkins Cadillac" apparently conjured up at the behest of our resident mollusk, a not as sinister as usual but still compelling "Used to be a Cop," more "deep cuts" like "The Company I Keep" and "Too Much Sex" which brought the crowd to a frenzy and an absolutely over the top kick ass "Hell No I Ain't Happy" (even w/out the "Sign O The Times" segue it was still stunning). I can't say exactly why "Gravity's Gone" was better tonight than it has been during other recent shows, but fuck it, it just was.

Back to back majestic, killer anthems "Let There Be Rock" and "Zip City" both benefited by not having been played earlier in the weekend and the entire end of set "encore," which I define as everything after "KKK" (LTBR, Zip, Rockin' in the Free World and People Who Died) was just an insane adrenaline rush that just built and built and then built some more to a cathartic crescendo which left everybody counting the days until next year's homecoming.

All I'll say about opening act Hans Condor is that a large part of the crowd seemed to really like them, including a number of people whose musical judgment I respect and generally agree with. Go figure.

My understanding based on incomplete knowledge is that the weekend's activities raised about $64K for Nuci's Space.

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

Give or take. Thanks for the reportage, bubba. Sucks to miss it, but it’s great to have this reminder of What It Means.

[cortez the killer]

No "Zip City." Gotta be a rarity for a post-SRO rock show.

There was that one stretch, i want to say in the mid-2010's when Cooley dropped it from the set for a few months. But other than that, 2 zipless shows in a row is fairly rare i think.

As your write-up notes, made you appreciate more when you did get it. Safe returns.

[beantownbubba]

I will be the first to admit that I don't know anything about the traditional African American Protestant Church in America, but I feel like the bond between band and audience, the constant ratcheting up of excitement, energy and an almost religious epiphany that raised the roof is very similar to what I've heard and read about the African American church experience at its best. And really, given the band members' roots, that makes a lot of sense to me as weird as it may seem at first blush. At one point I said it felt like the entire building was going to levitate, and that is the kind of spiritual energy, of religious transcendence, that I associate with the merger of religious fervor, communal experience and the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts that defines the very best DBT shows, of which this was certainly one.

I couldn't tease the phrase out of my addled and tired brain last nite, but come to think of it, homecoming is in many ways like a religious revival meeting (at least as portrayed in movies and on tv)

[gordonlw]

My audio from Friday night




Drive-By Truckers
2024-02-16
40 Watt Club
Athens, GA

source: Microtech Gefell M21 (dina) > Nbob actives > Naiant PFA > Sound Devices MixPre-6 II @ 32/48
location: clamped to sbd dfc, mics @ 8'
transfer: USB > PC > iZotope RX 9 (gain, fades, edits, MBIT+ dither) > CD Wave > TLH (flac 8) > Foobar (tags)

*24bit/48khz fileset*

recorded and transferred by Gordon Wilson

A Team Dirty South Recording

01. The Living Bubba
02. A Ghost to Most
03. Puttin' People on the Moon
04. Slow Ride Argument
05. Patterson Banter
06. Why Henry Drinks
07. Shit Shots Count
08. Ronnie and Neil
09. 72 (This Highway's Mean)
10. Tornadoes
11. Women Without Whiskey
12. Wife Beater
13. Primer Coat
14. Patterson Banter
15. My Sweet Annette
16. Love Like This
17. Adam Raised a Cain
18. Every Single Storied Flameout *
19. Dead, Drunk and Naked
20. Guitar Man Upstairs
21. Sink Hole
22. Where the Devil Don't Stay
23. The Driver
24. Made Up English Oceans
25. Rosemary With a Bible and a Gun
26. One of These Days
27. Road Cases
28. Shut Up and Get on the Plane **
29. Angels and Fuselage **

* w/ McKendrick Bearden on trumpet
** w/ David Barbe on guitar

[gordonlw]

DBT-Feb 16, 2024 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia

1. The Living Bubba
2. A Ghost to Most
3. Puttin' People on the Moon
4. Slow Ride Argument
5. Why Henry Drinks
6. Shit Shots Count
7. Ronnie and Neil
8. 72 (This Highway's Mean)
9. Tornadoes
10. Women Without Whiskey
11. Wife Beater
12. Primer Coat
13. My Sweet Annette
14. Love Like This
15. Adam Raised a Cain
16. Maria's Awful Disclosure
17. Dead, Drunk, and Naked
18. Guitar Man Upstairs
19. Sink Hole
20. Where the Devil Don't Stay
21. The Driver
22. Made Up English Oceans
23. Rosemary With a Bible and a Gun
24. One of These Days
25. Road Cases
26. Shut Up and Get on the Plane
27. Angels and Fuselage

(source: setlist.fm dot com )

Maria was actually Every Single Storied Flameout

[Sterling Bigmouth]

After a long morning of driving, afternoon of sleep, and a few Advil, I think I'm ready to gather my thoughts on the weekend.

First, what a blessing Homecoming is to allow of us to see friends old and new from all over the country. We usually don't get the chance to see the band often outside of Tennessee, so I'm always glad to drive an extra few hours to see and talk to the folks we might not see until this time next year. And to top it off I get to do it in Athens (one of my favorite cities) and the 40 Watt (maybe my favorite venue to visit, and that isn't just the tall PBRs talking).

A few thoughts on openers:
1. We weren't able to get to Athens quick enough on Thursday (damn my boss) to see Vision Video, which was disappointing. I liked what I heard from them previously, so I'd love to hear what others thought of them. Shoutout to everyone who pulled off the goth look though (especially Luke, who I didn't get the chance to talk to) and making the 40 Watt look like my high school circa 2006.
2. I highly respect Elizabeth Nelson as a writer, but I wasn't sure how her band's style would translate to the stage. I think overall they did a pretty good job, though I doubt I would seek out much of their music or shows in the future. They were a big hit with the friends I brought with me though, along with the Camp Amped Band, who are one of my favorite parts of Homecoming every year.
3. I described Hans Condor to multiple people last night as "Big, Stupid, Rock and Roll", and I mean that as a compliment. They're not my favorite band from our local Nashville scene, but I love when Patterson brings bands I've caught down the road to Homecoming, as it feels like a major moment of vindication for some local characters. (A fun side note: I also told some friends last night that we've finally reached the point where you can see the MASSIVE amount of influence the legendary, recently-disbanded band Diarrhea Planet has on Nashville. Long live DP.)

There isn't much I can say about DBT that others haven't said. I compared the band earlier to an aging pitcher who can still reach deep into their bag of tricks to keep hitters off balance. They started Thursday with a curveball of a show that included Life in the Factory, Wallace, and plenty of other surprises that kept the party going. Then on Friday you knew as soon as Patterson opened with the Living Bubba that the band was showing off the life they still have on their fastball, which hopefully doesn't slow down any time soon. Saturday was just the out pitch that felt celebratory from the beginning and ended with the wonderful People Who Died.

It's hard to pick out my favorite moments from the weekend. The Springsteen covers are always big hits for me. The horns are an awesome addition to the songs they're featured on. Patterson's foot-long grin singing Rick James while walking on stage on Thursday cracked me up. So did his stoking of SRO-related rumors. Let's do it again next year, boys and girls.

Some stray thoughts:
1. The new, earlier start time was great. Hopefully that change is permanent.
2. Though it gets a little fratty late at night, The Roadhouse has become our group's go-to pre-game spot. Not only is the beer cheap and cold, but they actually had a Knoxville band playing last night that we knew. Shoutout to High Heat.
3. I didn't get out to eat as much as I usually do, but the pizza, sandwiches, and $7 pitchers at Little Italy hit just as hard as always.

[Flea]

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

The women folk were all up front with me!

[beantownbubba]

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

The women folk were all up front with me!

Were those mushroom cookies this year?

[litdimly]

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

The women folk were all up front with me!

They're just after your pickle (I still have mine by the way).

Thanks for the reports, all. I'll hopefully have my own reports to offer in the near future.

[Clams]

No "Zip City." Gotta be a rarity for a post-SRO rock show.

There was that one stretch, i want to say in the mid-2010's when Cooley dropped it from the set for a few months. But other than that, 2 zipless shows in a row is fairly rare i think.

Just one Zip City and one Where the Devil Don't Stay, but three One of These Days

[beantownbubba]

No "Zip City." Gotta be a rarity for a post-SRO rock show.

There was that one stretch, i want to say in the mid-2010's when Cooley dropped it from the set for a few months. But other than that, 2 zipless shows in a row is fairly rare i think.

Just one Zip City and one Where the Devil Don't Stay, but three One of These Days

He'll never be Patterson as far as not repeating songs during multi show stands, but I think Cooley's gotten a lot better at it recently. I'll leave it to the statheads to do the math if they're so inclined but I feel confident that this year's Cooley "setlist" was his most varied ever.

[Clams]

He'll never be Patterson as far as not repeating songs during multi show stands, but I think Cooley's gotten a lot better at it recently. I'll leave it to the statheads to do the math if they're so inclined but I feel confident that this year's Cooley "setlist" was his most varied ever.

Speaking of which, you're welcome for Carl Perkins Cadillac

[Clams]

3. I described Hans Condor to multiple people last night as "Big, Stupid, Rock and Roll", and I mean that as a compliment. They're not my favorite band from our local Nashville scene, but I love when Patterson brings bands I've caught down the road to Homecoming, as it feels like a major moment of vindication for some local characters. (A fun side note: I also told some friends last night that we've finally reached the point where you can see the MASSIVE amount of influence the legendary, recently-disbanded band Diarrhea Planet has on Nashville. Long live DP.)

Turns out Hans Condor was pretty polarizing. If you ask anyone who was up front (as I was), they were fuckin amazing. If you asked anyone who was farther back or by the bar, they were... not so amazing. To me it was balls to the wall rock and roll, like I was watching Angus Young fronting Spinal Tap. You could tell they were having fun and not taking themselves too seriously which made it all the better. Was actually hilarious when the dude threw his guitar into the crowd and dove off the stage and practically trampled Courtney and her crew on the rail in the process.

what a blessing Homecoming is to allow of us to see friends old and new from all over the country. We usually don't get the chance to see the band often outside of Tennessee, so I'm always glad to drive an extra few hours to see and talk to the folks we might not see until this time next year. And to top it off I get to do it in Athens (one of my favorite cities) and the 40 Watt (maybe my favorite venue to visit, and that isn't just the tall PBRs talking).

Yep it's really amazing. I describe it to people as attending a huge family reunion - if you had the funnest, coolest, nicest family in the entire world, and you get to eat great food, drink amazing drinks, and see the greatest band in the world for 4 straight nights, and it all happens in the coolest town and with great weather.

Some stray thoughts:
1. The new, earlier start time was great. Hopefully that change is permanent.

HELL YES

[Clams]

i assume it's no surprise to anyone that my dead* son, Bryan, is always with me, but sometimes he's more with me than at other times and this week has been one of those "more" times, so this 38 word capsule review is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Max Bernfeld : I have come to realize that almost everything about the Drive By Truckers can be boiled down to "The Southern Thing." Since they opened with that one tonight, the show was destined to be transcendent and it was.

RIP Bryan. Love you, bubba.

[Clams]

My understanding based on incomplete knowledge is that the weekend's activities raised about $64K for Nuci's Space.

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

$64k for Nuci's is just amazing. And I'll disagree with your final point (as I did with Hans Condor!). I saw lots of younger folks in the crowd including, in my general vicinity all three nights, mom's with teenage daughters and also dads with 20-something daughters. As a parent, that always warms my heart.

[Clams]

2. Though it gets a little fratty late at night, The Roadhouse has become our group's go-to pre-game spot. Not only is the beer cheap and cold, but they actually had a Knoxville band playing last night that we knew. Shoutout to High Heat.
3. I didn't get out to eat as much as I usually do, but the pizza, sandwiches, and $7 pitchers at Little Italy hit just as hard as always.

One of the best things about Athens is the dizzying array of drinking and eating options. And all relatively inexpensive for the most part.

[schlanky]

Turns out Hans Condor was pretty polarizing. If you ask anyone who was up front (as I was), they were fuckin amazing. If you asked anyone who was farther back or by the bar, they were... not so amazing.

I was all the way back by the bathrooms, but I know greatness when I see it. Hans Condor fucking rocked.

Three nights of the Rock Show with the surprise bonus of Hans Condor gave me a much-needed mental reset. Life at work and life outside of work have been challenging and complicated lately, but those loud guitars are good for the soul. Also good for the soul was seeing old friends and making some new ones.


I also very much like the earlier start time.

[Clams]

Turns out Hans Condor was pretty polarizing. If you ask anyone who was up front (as I was), they were fuckin amazing. If you asked anyone who was farther back or by the bar, they were... not so amazing.

I was all the way back by the bathrooms, but I know greatness when I see it. Hans Condor fucking rocked.

Three nights of the Rock Show with the surprise bonus of Hans Condor gave me a much-needed mental reset. Life at work and life outside of work have been challenging and complicated lately, but those loud guitars are good for the soul. Also good for the soul was seeing old friends and making some new ones.


I also very much like the earlier start time.

And you won a really cool raffle item

[schlanky]

Turns out Hans Condor was pretty polarizing. If you ask anyone who was up front (as I was), they were fuckin amazing. If you asked anyone who was farther back or by the bar, they were... not so amazing.

I was all the way back by the bathrooms, but I know greatness when I see it. Hans Condor fucking rocked.

Three nights of the Rock Show with the surprise bonus of Hans Condor gave me a much-needed mental reset. Life at work and life outside of work have been challenging and complicated lately, but those loud guitars are good for the soul. Also good for the soul was seeing old friends and making some new ones.


I also very much like the earlier start time.

And you won a really cool raffle item

That was actually my buddy RedCelt who won that---I just collected it for him. But I did take home some cool albums from the Nuci's auction.

[beantownbubba]

My understanding based on incomplete knowledge is that the weekend's activities raised about $64K for Nuci's Space.

PS While I paid less attention to the demographics this year than i have in the past, my impression is that the encouraging trend towards a younger more female audience that I identified previously seems to be over. The audiences at this week's shows seemed to be back to the usual plurality or majority of older white guys.

$64k for Nuci's is just amazing. And I'll disagree with your final point (as I did with Hans Condor!). I saw lots of younger folks in the crowd including, in my general vicinity all three nights, mom's with teenage daughters and also dads with 20-something daughters. As a parent, that always warms my heart.

I didn't say there were none and I agree, there were a number of families in various configurations. Some of those kids were digging it, others seemed not to be there of their own accord. Either way, I'll stand by my observation about the aggregate numbers, i.e. down from recent years. But neither of us have any actual numbers/evidence, so what the heck, right? Unless doc's crew took numerous detailed crowd shots while shooting the video Thursday.

[beantownbubba]

2. Though it gets a little fratty late at night, The Roadhouse has become our group's go-to pre-game spot. Not only is the beer cheap and cold, but they actually had a Knoxville band playing last night that we knew. Shoutout to High Heat.
3. I didn't get out to eat as much as I usually do, but the pizza, sandwiches, and $7 pitchers at Little Italy hit just as hard as always.

One of the best things about Athens is the dizzying array of drinking and eating options. And all relatively inexpensive for the most part.

Quoted for truth though I mourn the closing (as a full scale restaurant, anyway) of homemade, my long term favorite.

[beantownbubba]

i assume it's no surprise to anyone that my dead* son, Bryan, is always with me, but sometimes he's more with me than at other times and this week has been one of those "more" times, so this 38 word capsule review is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Max Bernfeld : I have come to realize that almost everything about the Drive By Truckers can be boiled down to "The Southern Thing." Since they opened with that one tonight, the show was destined to be transcendent and it was.

RIP Bryan. Love you, bubba.

A hard shelled mollusk w/ a heart of gold. Back atcha my friend.

[gordonlw]

My audio from Saturday night!




Drive-By Truckers
2024-02-17
40 Watt Club
Athens, GA

source: Microtech Gefell M21 (dina) > Nbob actives > Naiant PFA > Sound Devices MixPre-6 II @ 32/48
location: clamped to sbd dfc, mics @ 8'
transfer: USB > PC > iZotope RX 10 (gain, fades, edits, MBIT+ dither) > CD Wave (track splits) > TLH (flac 8) > Foobar (tags)

*24bit/48khz fileset*

recorded and transferred by Gordon Wilson

A Team Dirty South Recording

01. Intro
02. The Southern Thing
03. Carl Perkins' Cadillac
04. Drag the Lake Charlie
05. Three Dimes Down
06. The Company I Keep
07. A Ghost To Most
08. Used To Be a Cop
09. Women Without Whiskey
10. 18 Wheels of Love
11. Sounds Better in the Song
12. The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town
13. Gravity's Gone
14. Hell No, I Ain't Happy
15. Marry Me
16. Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus)
17. One of These Days
18. Steve McQueen
19. Self Destructive Zones
20. Play It All Night Long
21. Surrender Under Protest
22. The KKK Took My Baby Away *
23. Let There Be Rock *
24. Zip City *
25. Rockin' in the Free World *
26. People Who Died **

* w/ David Barbe on guitar
** w/ David Barbe, Henry Barbe, Winston Barbe, and Ollie Silva all on guitar