Live Review: Drive By Truckers

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Image result for drive by truckers infinity hall



It's not often I see live music alone, which is funny, because often music is heard alone. It is an individual experience filtered through our headphones, as the current world gets erased and enriched by ideas & sound. However, seeing a live show is an exercise in community, energy, tone, spirit, and feeling. If you go alone, you are almost more free to witness the natural community that it forms, since everyone there is presumably a fan.

I saw the Drive By Truckers play last night at Infinity Hall, a small venue in downtown Hartford, CT. There was no opening act- and around 8:30 the lights dimmed, the band banged on some loud chords, energized like race horses out of the starting gate. The songs bled into one another, a mesh of doom-filled power chords, melodic sidetracks, and stories straight from the gut. It was exactly what you'd expect from the grizzled veterans of the road, who still sound juiced by the chance to preform in front of a gracious, if not somewhat rabid audience.

The band played for about two hours- concluding with the song "Grand Canyon", a fitting end to a night that showcased the wonders of the Drive By Truckers world: new political songs, old bangers, urgent pleas, old stories, rock and roll. They're like the Rolling Stones with punk ethics and social awareness. Despite the sad tales the Truckers often tell, their live show is one of the most life-affirming, feel-good rock shows you'll ever see. If their ever in your town, check 'em out- alone or with friends.



(I’ve posted for a whole about these fellas, which you can read here, here and here).

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