Everything expected at Old 97s show Friday

By Jon Cox

I can get pretty snobbish about my hometown.

Born and raised in Fayetteville, I’ve found my niche here and rarely travel, almost entirely satisfied with what my home has to offer.

That stated, in the past year and a half, the Old 97’s drew me twice to Tulsa, as their tours brought them tantalizingly close to Fayetteville.

When they take the stage at 9:30 p.m. Friday at George’s, it’ll be their first show in years. And I’ll be sated for a time, getting the Old 97’s thrill without the 4 plus hours of driving (although I’ll miss Waffle House).

My first Old 97’s show was when I was 15, and, like many-a-clichéd-thing, they only get better with time.

I had a friend once put it best: “I like to take people to see them and just watch their reactions to Rhett.”

Rhett Miller, lead singer and prettyboy of the band, owns the stage.

While in several of the band’s songs, he serves as the narrator who spends night after drunken night disenchanting girls over many a beer (and whiskey. And gin), on stage, he shows none of that rye-tinged melancholia.

From festival crowds of 15,000 to smaller crowds of 500, one can expect the same Rhett Miller: exuberant, energetic, and ready to rock.

I got a chance to ask Rhett about how he developed his stage personality. His reply was wonderfully democratic—”If I want people to have fun, I have to look like I’m having fun, and it helps if I actually am having fun.”

He’s tried switching it off, but things don’t work that way.

Rhett goes up there, and, if need be, he fakes it: “I’m still gonna go up there and act like I’m having fun, and 9 out of 10 times, by the second song, I will be having fun … You can’t expect people to dance if you’re not gonna dance.”

When reflecting on their latest album, Mimeograph, Rhett mentioned that most rock stars, as they grow older, grow quieter and more introspective. “We may have the word ‘old’ in our name, but I don’t think that any of us want to act old, so it’s fun; we like to get out there and freakin’ rock.”

Given my experience with the band, that’s exactly what Fayetteville will get: one incredible, rocking night.

When asked what we can expect from this show, Rhett had one simple, almost obvious answer: “everything.”

Old 97s w/ David Wac Museum

Where: George’s Majestic Lounge

When: 9:30 p.m.

Cost: $15

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