I saw Bobby Bare Jr. and a sampling of the Young Criminals Starvation League open for the Old 97’s last Thursday. Bobby didn’t fare too well with the crowd (Who would have? That audience wanted the Old 97’s, and they wanted them right away). The way the songs were reworked for a trio – excising those wonderful Stax horns – made it sound, at times, like generic “hard country,” and Bobby’s vocals were too low in the mix, so the audience missed some good lines.
He did win over a few with some funny jokes and that terrific cover of the Smiths’ “What Difference Does It Make?” Once again, I urge you to run out and buy BBJ’s latest record, “From The End of Your Leash,” from the good folks at Bloodshot Records.
The Old 97’s barreled through a typically entertaining set that clocked in just under two hours. I was reminded once again of how annoying I find the typical Old 97’s fan, who spend a good deal of most shows patting themselves on the back for being cool enough to be “in the know” of this clever little alt.country quartet from Dallas. Of course, they are ahead of the curve, but that doesn’t justify becoming a bunch of yodelling assholes.