As they approach their 20th birthday, it becomes increasingly clear Drive-By Truckers don’t have much left to prove. Having released their 10th studio album last year, they’re undoubtedly the elder statesmen of southern rock.
Remaining constant in their sound since their inception, the Truckers stand out even more now in the changing face of their genre. While bands today like Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr. and J. Roddy Walston & The Business are southern in a vague sense, the Truckers are still unapologetically and wholly Dixie.
Their southern roots were on full display Sunday night at Majestic. Touring behind their newly released live album, Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood and company brought some twang to Madison.
Taking the stage just after 9:30 p.m., Cooley and Hood emerged unassumingly. While Majestic might seem too small a venue for the Truckers considering their longevity and stature, the roaring crowd’s energy made up for it.
Hood and Cooley, who share songwriting duties fairly equally on their albums, did the same at the show. Virtually switching off vocal duties every other song, Cooley’s laid-back, understated and even cool vocals made for a perfect contrast to the full and aggressive energy of Hood’s, preventing the show from stagnating.
The Truckers played a bit of everything from their catalog, but focused on their most recent studio album English Oceans and their most lauded albums Decoration Day and Southern Rock Opera.
Throughout their set, the Truckers exhibited the confidence and cohesiveness that can only come with longevity — but that veteran status isn’t without a cost. Until Hood came around at the end, the band remained stiff and static. While people don’t necessarily go to a Drive-By Truckers show for unhinged energy, more engagement would have gone a long way.
One of the high points of the night came in the middle of the set when the Truckers played “Marry Me,” a rollicking, high-flying song from Decoration Day followed by the more sinister, plodding “Sinkhole.” The band satisfied the crowd with their contrast and played with gusto.
Hood, who’s known for his on-stage monologues and for being a natural storyteller, was fairly restrained Sunday night, both in topic and in length. Hood offered a single anecdote before “18 Wheels of Love,” and then told a story of his mother and the man she met while working in the trucking business. But while the story drew some laughs and was seemingly spontaneous, he offered the same anecdote, word for word, on the band’s 2013 live album Alabama Ass Whuppin’.
The Truckers’ former member, Jason Isbell, who played Madison last week with his excellent solo material, represents an instrumentally softer and lyrically more intricate version of southern rock. While the Truckers played for a sizeable crowd Sunday night, Isbell’s crowd was likely three times that on Thursday. It’s possible that southern rock is moving in a new direction.
Even so, the Truckers delivered what the audience was looking for. With southern riffs and well-known songs, Cooley and Hood showed their brand of southern rock isn’t going anywhere, at least for now.
