Bathed in Beer and the Bard

Lucero

wsg/Titus Adronicus

Headliners Music Hall

Louisville, KY

April 25, 2009

Well, I'm a member of the tribe now.

After years of being a fan I finally, finally saw Lucero live. Hard rocking, hard working, and full of hard knocks, they were as good as I'd hoped. And that was just the first song! Then they proceeded to amaze and delight for two full hours leaving me twice the fan as when I walked in. I've always admired the marriage between their lyrics-to call them simple sounds like an insult but all I really mean is they are full of the inevitability of good writing-and singer songwriter Ben Nichols' voice-which sounds like he's on the raspy cusp of losing it even though it's a super strong insrument. It's really what makes Lucero Lucero. I especially liked the two war songs, which in their sea of heartfelt songs always seemed especially so, a new song called "100 Miles South of Lonely", my favorite, "That Much Further West" and the sloppy group singalong of "My Tears Don't Matter Much".

Loud. Raucous. And funny! Good rock music and lots of laughs is an excellent combination. Something else amused me too. You know at most shows when the guitar techs come out to tune all the instruments then the good looking young hipsters come out and actually play them? Well, with the exception of Ben, who really is quite humina humina, the rest of the band looks like the techs just took over the stage and refused to leave. I love that. Cause if you've been to a show where the techs get invited to play you know those are the drop dead rockingest songs of the show.

Loyal fans? I don't know that I've seen more loyal and I'm a fan of some artists known for their fans' rabidity-The Hip, Springsteen. There was even one crazy mad stagediving fan who had the band name tattooed on his skull. I thought I was nerdy for wearing my Lucero t-shirt! Yep, there were more tattoos than a prison and a biker bar combined. I, with only 3, definately felt under inked. I had heard that Louisville and Lucero had a special relationship with a long running history of beer throwing and that was definately in evidence. It made for a lot to clean but the bar sales must have been healthy.

It was also hot, very hot. One person I was standing near took a temperature reading with their I-phone (yes, there's an application for that) and declared it 106 degrees which I don't doubt. It did not dampen anyone's enthusiam though least of all the opening band. I guess when you name yourself after Shakespeare's most violent play you'd better bring the drama. And the bodily fluids. I can't say much about their songs besides they were fast and distorted but because the lead singer was standing sideways to the audience we got the full view of his prodigious singing/spitting. I feared electrocution. They stayed onstage during Lucero's set too to help sing and play and occasionally fling themselves into the crowd.

All in all, a great time one I also enjoyed because it was the first show my brother and I ever went to together. Yeah, it's kind like taking a hot cousin to the prom but it was a pleasure to share the fun and have someone to elbow when you saw something crazy or stupid. Lucero is chock full of crazy and stupid-my kind of crazy and stupid and I'll definately go see them again.