» Live: Lucero @ Emo’s 10.24 w/Photos Sonic Itch Music

Live: Lucero @ Emo’s 10.24 w/Photos

Amidst a crowd of beer slinging rabid fans, Lucero took the stage at Emo’s Wednesday night for an evening of good ol’ rock and roll. The night started out on a high note for me, as vocalist Ben Nichols first growled out the opening lines of That Much Further West, possibly my favorite by the band. It only took those first four minutes for the Emo’s crew to start removing some of the more obnoxious of the hardcore Lucero fans.

The night continued on in the same manner; Lucero played a multitude of fan favorites while the crowd sang and cheered them along, fans crowd surfed and got rowdy, and every so often another body was removed. The country/punk infused rock show was quite the refreshing change from the various indie/hardcore/punk shows I tend to frequent. Topics such as women, beer drinking, grandparents, women, and whiskey weave their way through the majority of Lucero’s songs, and when interlaced with that sweet twang of Nichol’s vocals, tug at your heartstrings and make you want to scream from the top of your lungs all at the same time. I was pleased, but not surprised, to hear Austin’s very own shout-out, courtesy of Raising Hell, a song about Nichol’s brother’s hard partying ways here in Texas.

I wasn’t able to make it until the end of the show as I was warned ahead of time that the guys like to play until the power is pulled on them and this lady can’t seem to stay out ‘til the wee hours anymore. But as I elbowed my way through the crowd of rabid fans who, so enraptured by the band, were completely unaware I was pushing them, I wondered how a band that inspires so much passion and dedication hasn’t yet been able to take it to that next level of success. Let’s hope it’s only a matter of time before they get there, and in the meantime I’m sure all of us fans can agree that we will be at every show rooting them along whole-heartedly. Maybe spraying a couple of beers on them as well.

-Kristin Owen

Mp3>>That Much Further West