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A couple of months ago I went to see the Old 97’s. Rhett Miller is the lead singer and main songwriter for them. This time (Wed, June 21st) he was traveling solo with just his acoustic guitar. The Old 97’s have been in Portland recording songs for an upcoming album so it sounds like a few solo dates were just Rhett’s way of clearing his head. There is definite overlap in the material and Rhett sang both Old 97’s music as well as his solo stuff. He joked that he writes songs for the band and then if the band doesn’t like them he records them for his solo projects.
That conversation is one of the nice things about a singer doing a show by himself. He isn’t bound by the rest of the band so he has more time to converse with the crowd between songs, tell stories, and generally just hang out. Generally these types of shows tend to be more laid back and that was certainly the case with Rhett’s set. Rhett sang three songs as an encore to the main set and at the end of the main set he said that he was going to pretend to leave and then would come back out. He then walked six feet to a curtain and hid behind it for a minute before reappearing to sing the final songs. He joked that it’s a good thing we all didn’t just leave because he would have felt pretty stupid standing behind a curtain waiting for the audience.
That relaxed feeling was enhanced by the venue. The show was at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. It’s a tiny venue that only has standing room for ~400 people so the whole feeling is very intimate. I have spent almost no time in Ballard, I think I’ve been once and that was a show at the Tractor maybe 20 years ago. I remember nothing of the area but from what I remember of the venue, nothing much has changed. That’s somewhat remarkable in today’s environment. The Tractor Tavern has been in business for over 25 years which in terms of small music halls is an eternity.
Anyway, it was a fun show. Opening the show for Rhett was a local gal from the Skagit Valley by the name of Brittany Collins, also with just a guitar. She was the perfect opening artist for Rhett. She was funny and engaging with great songs and the crowd clearly enjoyed her music.
