Old 97’s at the Crossroads

Old 97’s

July 11, 2007

The Crossroads at Grinders

Review & Photos by Richard Gintowt

Would I ever have listened to Johnny Cash if it weren’t for the Old 97’s? Probably, but they had a lot to do with it. “Timebomb” was the first train-beat song I can remember liking. It was a big deal to discover a band like the Old 97’s in high school; my friends and I were still getting over that whole grunge thing.

So here we are a decade later, and the anti-teetotalling Texas two-steppers haven’t skipped a beat. Kicking things off with two of their trademark girly-name numbers (“Doreen” and Annette’s “Designs on You”), the Old 97’s made it abundantly clear that Rhett Miller‘s two-album solo detour hadn’t ruptured their chemistry. They looked happy as hell to be playing Kansas City on a beautiful Wednesday evening — probably partly due to the fact that the Crossroads’ outdoor setting looked every bit the part of Antone’s in Austin, TX.