Yeah, it was a great show.
It was a somewhat awkward combination of hipsters and red-staters (not unlike a DBT show) in which appreciation is often displayed not by applauding, but by raising one's Miller Lite or Bud longneck skyward and hooting like you're riding shotgun in the General Lee. Great turnout and I bet the Black Cat rang up some serious alcohol sales.
I've been meaning to catch a Lucero show ever since Pollard turned me on to them several years back. I was expecting the show to pale against the brilliance of the Stooges show, but it didn't; due in part to its completely different dynamic and in part to the fact that it was just a plain good show.
Ben Nichols is clearly the lead dog, but it was nice to see that it isn't just his show. The guitar player was great, the drummer was solid, and the keyboard/accordion player was excellent. The bass player seemed like a tool who most likely owns zero Dag Nasty albums, but...whatever...he didn't take anything away from the sum.
Very glad that I rallied and made it out. Nichols' voice may have been "shot" but it was still wonderful - in all its crackling gravelly glory. He writes some great songs, has a nice sized catalog to draw upon now, and the band plays with a laid-back, beer-swilling, rollicking good-time vibe that makes for a great show.
