But there was a minor problem: the lights in the concert hall were a bit on the bright side. That might work out well for the video, but the atmosphere seemed more like a high school sock hop than a jukejoint get-down. No worries, we'd toss back another Jim and ginger, try to feel less self-conscious. When the band came on after a fiery, gut-bucket bluegrass set by Split Lip Rayfield (we sadly missed openers Hillstomp), we were more than ready to give ourselves over to the Reverend's Texas-tough brand of rock 'n' roll.
Unfortunately, in an effort to deliver a proper retrospective, the band arranged the set list in chronological order, intending to regale us with a historical overview of the group's progression from drunk punks of the late '80s to their hard-earned status today as world-class representatives of the last half-century of American roots music. But the thing is, Reverend Horton Heat shows almost always start off with a bang: the rippin' instrumental "Big Sky" followed by the deviant singalong "Baddest of the Bad." For many years, this powerful combo of tunes would often stir up a pit at the outset, then the energy would surge till the last note of the encore. This didn't happen last night.
Which isn't to say the gig wasn't spectacular. By the standards of your average concertgoing experience, it was over-the-top, sweat-drenched, crazy-ass fun. But it took a while to get there. And the band realized this, shifting gears midstream (breaking from the proposed set list on their web site) and cranking out that "Big Sky"/"Bad" jam that always gets us going. From there, "Jimbo Song," the classic homage to the Reverend's lifelong four-string partner Jimbo Wallace--"J-I-M-B-O" (shouted in the rhythm of that "Bingo" dog rhyme)--brought on the fist-pumpin' en masse.
