The Waco BrothersWaco Express Live & Kickin’ at Schuba’s Tavern, Chicago
A few Waco Brothers shows are among the most memorable sets I’ve seen at South by Southwest—part political rally, part drunken sing-along, part dance party, part celebration of the Whole Rock Thing. There were a couple of times when I couldn’t imagine anything I liked about rock ’n’ roll that wasn’t wrapped up somewhere in the Wacos’ performance. Waco Express captures that as much as an audio recording can, which is to say, not very well at all. The music’s all there, and it slams forward with an admirable lack of concern for anybody’s well-being, but it only hints at the onstage camaraderie, irreverence and the whole venue’s air of community. If the studio albums were somehow weak, Waco Express might seem more necessary, but none of the studio albums suffer from undue sobriety or wimpy reserve. In short, a good live album, but nothing more than another live album. I’ll listen to Cowboy in Flames, Do You Think About Me? and Wacoworld instead. Subscribe to offBeat and receive a FREE JazzFest CD! |
