Drive-By Truckers – January 14th – Ogden Theatre

Photos by Jim Mimna

When Drive-By Truckers took over The Ogden for two nights this past weekend, they brought with them the politically charged attitude of their most recent album, American Band, and the blistering Southern Rock attitude that fans have come to know and love.  With a set that spanned more than two hours, touched on eight of their albums, and even showcased a brilliant version of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” to close things out, The Truckers delivered!  While there were some grumblings that the band should keep their music separate from their politics, many of the fans in the room were 100% on board as Patterson Hood preached about a need for gun control.  Highlights of The Truckers set included the aforementioned “Rockin’ In The Free World,” “Dead Drunk and Naked,” “Sinkhole,” and “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy” but a powerful opening set from Denver’s own Dragondeer set the bar very high.  The Bluesy band wow’d the crowd and won over a legion of new fans as they ran through a set that featured a few new songs from their upcoming album alongside a mind blowing cover of The Grateful Dead classic “The Other One” and a version of Junior Wells “Messin’ With The Kid” that featured an absolutely insane bass solo.  Be on the look-out for Dragondeer, these guys are the real deal!