words by Daniel Strickland, photos by Misti Layne
The music business is fickle. So many talented acts never make it, or make it only briefly. To be a successful recording and performing musician for any length of time is an accomplishment. To make a career of it is something else altogether.
It’s no small feat, then, that the Old 97’s have been writing, recording and performing together for 31 years.
There were constant reminders of their longevity during their Thursday night show at The Fillmore.
There was the giant Old 97’s banner which hung behind the band that read “Est. 1993.”
There was the crowd, mostly men of a certain age, who would have been in their twenties when the band released their early records.
There was Rhett Miller reminding the crowd, “We’ve been making music together for 31 years and just released our 13th record.” (Check out American Primitive. It finds Rhett Miller and the band in classic form.)
And there was the controlled ankle movement walking boot that Rhett wore on his left foot. He said he twisted his ankle while chasing a kid earlier that day. “I asked my teenage daughter if I should wear the boot on stage. She said, ‘Do it for the lols.’”
That boot didn’t slow Rhett down. Their set was raucous fun, with fans up front loudly singing along. And they drew songs from nearly every record in their catalog.
It was a bummer that the show didn’t have a poster, so the Old 97’s won’t be remembered along with other Texas musicians whose show posters adorn the Fillmore’s hallowed walls: Steve Miller, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Johnny Winter, Jimmie Vaughan.
But it was a show their fans won’t forget anytime soon.
Setlist:
Falling Down
Just Like California
Doreen
Buick City Complex
W. TX Teardrops
Turn Off the TV
Lonely Holiday
Champaign, Illinois
Somebody
Big Brown Eyes
Jesus Loves You
By the End of the Night
Stoned
Dance With Me
Victoria
Rollerskate Skinny (with Ken’s son Audie Bethea on third guitar)
Good With God
Where the Road Goes
Can’t Get a Line
Barrier Reef
Longer Than You’ve Been Alive
Four Leaf Clover
Encore:
Question (Rhett solo)
Murder (or a Heart Attack)
Timebomb
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