Drive-By Truckers, Newport, KY 3-16-08

Random notes on Sunday night's Drive-By Truckers show at Southgate House in Newport...

• Con: lucky me was fortunate enough to have the mouthy-est drunk in the whole place standing right next to me. Maybe standing isn't the right word. He was sometimes leaning on me, yelling in my ear, and otherwise just being a general thorn in my side.

• Pro: he was only present for the opening act (The Whigs) as the same blood-alcohol level that caused him to shout expletive-laden admonitions at bloodcurdling volumes at the band (and swipe one of their shirts off the stage) also, in one incredibly fortuitous twist of fate, caused him to climb up on the stage, stumble down the backstage steps, and finally get dragged out the door on his back by security.

• I came better prepared for archiving this time, packing three flash memory cards for the camera and reading up on how to do video. I considered bringing my HD camcorder but didn't want to lug it around, not to mention its relatively poor low-light results. A couple of other people did bring theirs though, so maybe they'll share.

• The setlist was quite a bit different from the Louisville show...it was great to hear "One of These Days" and a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Rebels."

• Regular readers (or those willing to read the archives) are well-aware of my affinity for "Zip City." I purposefully didn't record video of it...all attention was focused on my ears. It sort of reminds me of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. You can look but you can't take pictures. Recording it doesn't do it justice.

• My spot was slightly improved from the Louisville show. I was again in front of Cooley but more toward the center. Nothing between me and the stage this time.

• My location paid off, as I got to shake hands with Cooley, Shonna, and EZB, in that order, after the encore.

Here's a link to my pictures (of Louisville and Newport).

I'm currently uploading my videos to Youtube (6 in total). Here's "One Of These Days"...you can find links to the others on my Youtube channel.

Please to enjoy!