Drive-By Truckers 'Live from Austin' Review
Band Excels in Live Setting, as Evidenced by Live CD/DVD Release
Many bands can fill an album with a dozen or so well-crafted tunes but when it comes time to capture those same songs live they fail on some level. Either their performances are lackluster or sloppy or the songs no longer stand up when stripped of their polished studio sound. Other bands seem to lack substance in their actual musical material and make up for it by putting on flashy, over-the-top live performances.
The Drive-By Truckers are one of a dwindling number of bands who seem to be able to put out quality albums and then tour to support them with no-frills shows that still manage to not only capture the essence of their albums but add an extra amount of spontaneity or energy that goes beyond anything they can capture in the studio. Live from Austin captures just this.
The Drive-By Truckers Live Experience
Recorded last year on a hot September day in Austin, Texas, Live from Austin captures the Drive-By Truckers on CD and DVD format in the midst of their Brighter Than Creation’s Dark Tour. Thirteen songs culled from six albums, Live from Austin showcases the many aspects of the Drive-By Truckers sound and captures a band doing what it does best- having a good time rocking out.
Guitarist Mike Cooley steps up to the microphone for a few of his better contributions to the Drive-By Truckers catalog, including ‘Marry Me’ and ‘Zip City.’ While not necessarily his best material (such as classics like ‘Women without Whiskey’), the songs Cooley contributes here round out the set nicely.
Bassist Shonna Tucker also contributes one of the tracks she penned from Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, ‘I’m Sorry Huston,’ which also serves to complement the set list.
However, it is guitarist/vocalist Patterson Hood who steals the show and demonstrates why he is the heart and soul of the band.
While Hood’s songwriting contributions to the last couple Drive-By Truckers albums have been less prolific (leaving room for more songwriting contributions by Cooley and Tucker) and often less profound, Hood is still the master of live performances. Both in listening to the CD and watching the DVD of the performance it is evident how Hood feeds off of the audience.
The live format also provides the perfect forum Hood’s storytelling, something he is famous for in song narratives. Live he is able to expand upon this and lengthy spoken narratives introducing ‘The Living Bubba’ and ’18 Wheels of Love’ prove to possibly be the highlights to the performance.
These spoken interludes make the songs all that more meaningful and make one want to cheer along with the crowd as the stories end and the band kicks in to the songs which they served as introductions for.
Patterson Hood Declares 'Let There Be Rock'
When Hood sings ‘Let There Be Rock,’ the Drive-By Truckers’ tribute to live rock music and the bands that influenced them, it becomes apparent what tradition they are following in. The Drive-By Truckers are a band meant to be experienced at an outdoor summer festival- this is when they’re in their element.
It is in this setting that the Drive-By Truckers are given the room to ad-lib and expand upon their songs- they are able to feel the energy of the crowd and let it drive them to their maximum potential as southern rockers and southern storytellers. Listening to or watching Live from Austin is experiencing what live music is supposed to be, southern rock style.
Live from Austin
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Patterson Hood in Austin
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