Show Review

Jay Farrar is a hard guy to follow. He’s been bold enough to give Son Volt’s “comeback” album the name of Omekah and the Melody of Riot. He’s been brave enough to move on with a revamped Son Volt lineup of what I overheard one fan call “Jay and three other dudes.” He’s been brainy enough to write lyrics like “what I’d give for that hat to be medicine” and songs like “Atmosphere” while shrugging off any deep meaning that lies beneath the surface. Heck, he’s been boring enough to wear the same shirt (or maybe it was just the same color) every time I have seen him live the past three years (yes, that’s easy to follow, but I had to point it out). It’s rare when you hear or see anything associated with Farrar and not have to think for a few hours or days about what it means (or, to be really difficult, somehow compare it to anything Jeff Tweedy of Wilco has done in the last 4 years).

However, a Son Volt concert isn’t as difficult. Yes, they play the same songs and Farrar sings the same words—they even reach into Farrar’s solo catalogue—but the show has the feel of a night out bowling and drinking PBRs more than it does dissecting a frog in a Biology 101. It’s an easygoing atmosphere that Son Volt brings to the table, one that Farrar and his bandmates have a grand time of pulling off.

The best thing about the “new” lineup (Andrew Duplantis on bass, Chris Frame on guitar, and Dave Bryson on drums) is that it doesn’t sell the “old” lineup (Dave Boquist, guitar, Jim Boquist, bass, Mike Heidorn, drums) or classic Son Volt songs short. Farrar could have easily thrown together a makeshift band, play all of the new material from Omekah, bust out a few solo acoustic gems, polish off an Uncle Tupelo cover, and call it a night. And while he did blow many eardrums closing the show with an incendiary version of Tupelo’s “Chickamauga,” Farrar and Co. played it all and played it well. How Farrar could still remember all the words to “Medicine Hat,” an underrated song off Wide Swing Tremolo, was worth witnessing, while rocking versions of “Drown” and “Loose String” reminded everyone in the room how great of an album Trace still is.

And as good as the old tunes still sounded, the night still focused on Omekah, which provided the first five songs of the evening. It wouldn’t surprise me if “Jet Pilot,” 6 String Belief,” and “Bandages and Scars” were all concert staples in a few years--they rock. And so do Farrar and the three other dudes. Who knew it could be so easy?

Setlist:

Who

Bandages &Scars

6 String Belief

Atmosphere

Gramophone

Medicine Hat

Back Into Your World

Joe Citizen Blues

Damn Shame

Feel Free

Barstow

Loose String

Chaos Streams

Live Free

Picking Up The Signal

Jet Pilot

Endless War

Route

Straightface

World Waits For You

Tear Stained Eye

Driving The View

Medication

Drown

Afterglow 61

Encore 1:

Way Down Watson (Jay solo)

Windfall

Caryatid Easy

Chickamauga

Encore 2:

Chickamauga (reprise)