“Let There Be Rock,” Patterson Hood shouted about halfway through the band’s encore – and rock there was; plenty of it.  Armed with a killer opening act, ten years worth of awesome songs, a great new album and a couple bottles of Jack Daniels, the Drive By Truckers brought their “Rock Show” to Norfolk, VA last night.

Alt-country rockers Langhorne Slim got things started with a great set of upbeat folky tunes that got the crowd going early.  They set em up, and the Drive By Truckers knocked em down – and they knocked em down good.  From start to finish, the band was on point, and the crowd couldn’t have been more all about it.

Songs from the band’s latest release The Big To Do were front and center, complete with a huge circus themed background from album cover artist Wes Freed draping behind the stage.  The new songs were a perfect compliment to the band’s already stellar live show.  The opener “After the Scene Dies”, “Fourth Night of my Drinking”, “Birthday Boy”, “Get Downtown”, and Shonna Tucker’s “It’s Gonna Be” jumped off the new album and onto the stage without missing a beat.  Old favorites “Marry Me”, “Three Dimes Down”, “Lookout Mountain” and “Let There Be Rock”, deeper cuts “Girls Who Smoke” and “Life In The Factory”, and cover songs “Everybody Needs Love” and “Adam Raised a Cain” rounded out the other highlights of the evening.  When it was all said and done, the band played 25 songs, and didn’t call it quits til after midnight.

It is so refreshing to see a band with not only a great songbook, but also so much musical talent.  Having one guy that can play a killer lead guitar is one thing, but the Truckers have three.  Patterson Hood, John Neff, and Mike Cooley each took turns on lead guitar, each earning their share of the night’s highlight real.  The rest of the band was on fire too, turning in a precise, high energy performance.  They weren’t in their own world, instead stepping to the front of the stage on almost every song, inviting the crowd to rock right along with them.   The band was all smiles, and their good-time personality was evident throughout, bringing the crowd more and more into the performance as the show went along.

As a Virginia guy, I have seen my share of really good shows at The Norva, but I can say with confidence that this was the best.  If there is a band with a better live show then the Drive By Truckers, sign me up, I’ll be the first in line to check them out.

Want to Hear the Show?  The Truckers have an extremely fan-friendly recording policy, and the show is available for free download here.

Setlist:

After the Scene Dies
Marry Me
This Effing Job
Birthday Boy
Girls Who Smoke
Daddy Needs a Drink
Ghost to Most
Great Car Dealer War
72 (This Highway’s Mean)
Sandwiches For the Road
Everybody Needs Love (Eddie Hinton Cover)
Women WIthout Whiskey
Drag the Lake Charlie
Get Downtown
(It’s Gonna Be) I Told You So
Fourth Night of My Drinking
Three Dimes Down
Lookout Mountain

Encore:
Zip City
Life In The Factory
Shut Up and Get on the Plane
Flying Wallendas
Let There Be Rock
Hell No I Ain’t Happy
Adam Raised a Cain (Bruce Springsteen Cover)