In the canon of alt-country music and specifically the bands that emerged from the late 80s and early 90s scenes, few acts have proven to be as resilient and timeless as Old 97’s. While many of these acts have called it quits or resorted to the occasional nostalgia-driven show, this Texas band has kept on trucking with one album after another. Such is the case with their latest American Primitive, which celebrates their third decade together and marks “a return to their Clash meets Cash roots,” according to Glide’s John Moore in a review. It was also recorded in Portland, Oregon of all places, and on Saturday, April 13th, the Old 97’s returned to the Rose City for a celebratory sold-out show at the Aladdin Theater.
As is often the case with an Old 97’s show, the band hit the stage and fired away with a rollicking set that rarely slowed down and managed to traverse thirty years of material. Even with a boot on his foot, Rhett Miller still lived up to his frontman status as he bounced around, spun his arm in theatrical circles, and sang with his usual passion. Over the course of their ninety-minute set, the band touched on nearly their entire catalog, playing old favorites like the pop-laden rocker “Murder (or a Heart Attack),” the feisty and infectious “Doreen,” and country bouncer “W. TX Teardrops.” “Weightless” was introduced by Miller with a story of an awkward encounter with a fan that made him feel old before the band dipped into its straightforward rock. New songs were sprinkled throughout the set, with the urgent anthem “Somebody” coming just before the old fan favorite “Big Brown Eyes,” complete with call and response. Murry Hammond showcased his whistling skills on the new tune “By The End Of The Night,” while the older tune “Good With God” flew by with its old West-meets-rockabilly energy, and the always fun “Barrier Reef” made a welcome appearance near the end for a final burst of momentum that kept the fans singing along. Rounding out a lively evening with a trio of encore tunes, the band closed it with “Timebomb,” one of their fastest tunes that captures their ability to balance rapid-fire rhythm and guitar alongside Miller’s lyrical tales of love gone awry.
While the glory days of the alt-country movement have long since passed, a fact that was evident by the age of the crowd, the Old 97’s showed Portland that it’s still possible to carry the torch. Throughout their set, the band quipped about feeling old yet they brought no shortage of youthful vigor to performing and made it abundantly clear that they still love getting on stage and rocking out. It would be fair to expect them to slow down their schedule of touring and recording at this point, but the level of energy in the music on American Primitive and onstage in Portland reminded the audience that the Old 97’s have made it too far to care and have no plans to hang it up anytime soon.
