Drive-By Truckers, Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois

Though I’ve liked the Athens, Georgia based Drive-By Truckers for a number of years, I never became a huge fan. Nonetheless, I always thought they would make for a good show. Their music is a blend of alternative country and Southern rock comparable to the Allman Brothers Band. They announced a pair of shows as Thalia Hall in Pilsen, where I seem to have trekking to a lot recently. The show didn’t seem to be close to being sold out. Though there was still a decent sized crowd, it was easy to slide up midway back, finding some space with a decent view of the stage. If there was an opener, we didn’t arrive in time to catch any of it.

The band includes Patterson Hood (guitar, vocals), Mike Cooley (guitar, vocals), Brad "The EZB" Morgan (drums), Jay Gonzalez (keyboards), and Matt Patton (bass). Patterson and Cooley, the band’s only two remaining original members, traded off vocals throughout the set. Many of the members switched off between additional instruments like banjos, mandolins, and harmonicas. Behind them was a backdrop of their most recent album, English Oceans (2014); a handful of stage lights illuminated the stage.

Except for looking at a few recent setlists, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that they varied up their setlists, but I wasn’t even sure what songs were fan favorites. They didn’t play my personal favorite, “The Man I Shot,” but it doesn’t look like they play it all that much, so I wasn’t too surprised or disappointed. Their setlist included songs from nine or more different albums plus a cover, going back as far as Gangstabilly (1998) and then a couple, only a couple, from their recent album, English Oceans (2014). They pulled the most songs from Southern Rock Opera (2001). I can’t remember which song, but at one point, the lead vocalist had to tape the lyrics to a new song to his microphone stand. Overall a solid set, though they didn’t blow me away. Many of the fans around me were dancing and having a good time, so perhaps under different circumstances, like being with people who were a bit more into it or having a bit more to drink, it could have been a bit more fun. They band members were certainly having fun, as they passed around a bottle of liquor amongst themselves during the show.

Setlist:
Tornadoes
Get Downtown
Feb 14
Where the Devil Don't Stay
Sink Hole
First Air of Autumn
Ramon Casiano
Gravity's Gone
Wednesday
Shit Shots Count
Steve McQueen
A Ghost to Most
Sandwiches for the Road
Women Without Whiskey
Dead, Drunk, and Naked
Guitar Man Upstairs
Puttin' People on the Moon
Encore:
Birthday Boy
Girls Who Smoke
Zip City
Angels and Fuselage
Shut Up and Get on the Plane
People Who Died [The Jim Carroll Band cover]