Quite simply, this show was amazing. Karin's vocals were as strong as ever, Linford was having a grand ol' time on the keys, the entire band seemed to feed off the crowd's increasingly vocal approval of the performance. Talk about having fun with songs. A drum solo like I've never heard, too! They were incredibly funny as well. Karin's mention of being "verbally accosted" by people riding in the "fur bus" kinda set the tone for the night (use your imagination for the fur bus thing, but Karin tied it in nicely with her "Fur Explosion" joke

They set a nice balance of very new and Ohio/Drunkard's Prayer. One cool (pun not intended) thing was that it was in the upper 30's at showtime; very unseasonable for Georgia, and they joked about that and played several "cool" songs. Setlist follows.

There is no way anyone recorded this, unless it was soundboard. This place was - excuse my language - assholes and elbows. I can't fathom how anyone gould get equipment into this place. I had to use yoga positions to get pictures. But the crowd was great, very enthusiastic, and it's only been in Atlanta that I've seen them give two encores. As my wife remarked, it's amazing that for a band that flies so far under the radar, to fill up places like OtR does is simply amazing.

Main set:
Born
Long Lost Brother
Spark
On A Roll
I Don't Want to Waste Your Time
Nothing Is Innocent
Trumpet Child
Who Am I Kiddin'
We're Gonna Pull Through
The One I Love (R.E.M.)
Last Night On Earth Again
Firefly
B.P.D.
Orphan Girl

Encore 1:
North Pole Man
If A Song Could Be President (haha this song is awesome)

Encore 2:
Hush Now
Baby, It's Cold Outside

I'm guessing those new ones are "Nothing Is Innocent" and "Who Am I Kiddin' ." (Two encores is typical for Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, too. )

Thanks for the review!

I'll write a more detailed review later, but yeah the place was totally packed. I fear that Over the Rhine has probably gotten too big for Smith's Old Bar, I really don't think they could've fit another person in there. I was stuck in the back near the merch booth, and moving was pretty hopeless. I shot a lot of pictures, but alas, very few turned out any good because I was so far back.

Nonetheless..... Pictures! Pictures!

Jeff

Hello all--I'm a newbie to the forum and to OTR, and was at Smith's on Sunday night with my wife.

Jeff, I think I was right behind you! We were sitting to the immediate left of the merch table.

I was introduced to OTR when I subscribed to Image Journal last year and received a copy of Ohio along with it. The CD alone was worth the price of the subscription... some artists, some CDs take a while for me to learn to like, but I was immediately cut to the core by OTR. Fr. Luigi Giussani said that he was "wounded by beauty" after listening to Tito Schipa (an Italian folk singer) as a teenager, and I wasn't sure what he meant until listening to OTR.

On to the concert... We had our first child 2 and a half years ago, and the only time we've asked a friend to babysit for us was when U2 came to town a year and a half ago. We now have 2 kids (the second is 7 months old), so I felt like we really needed a break (and I really wanted to see OTR). We asked friends to babysit the kids, had a really nice dinner at Nakato and went to the show.

Since I've only heard the one CD, I didn't know all the songs, but it didn't bother me (unlike some other concerts I've been to). Listening for what was coming next was in itself a joy. My wife hadn't listened to the CD as much as I had, but she was completely blown away as well. The venue was perfect... it got a little crowded, but was still cozy. It felt to me as if it were someone's living room. All in all, an amazing show.

Jim

I've posted a short review on my blog.

About the new songs.... I love, love, love "Trumpet Child". It's going to sound amazing with all the horns and additional instrumentation. "Nothing Is Innocent Now" was pretty amazing too. I wasn't as big a fan of "Who Am I Kidding?", but taken for what it is (in Karin's words) as a "trashy little song", it's not bad for what it is. I had already heard songs like "I'm On A Roll", and "I Don't Wanna Waste Your Time" and had already fallen in love with them.

I'm sure this will get me skewered around here, but "If A Song Could Be President" really didn't do much for me. I liked the nods to some of their musical heroes, but the jabs against the current adminstration just seemed too... cheap and easy. I'm not a really strong-leaning person politically, I've actually liked some of their more political songs previously (loved "How Long Have You Been Stoned?", clever and biting... loved "Looking Forward" because it made the whole election process personal, and I even liked "Changes Come" in its visceral power), but if and when the Presidential seat changes hands, the song is going to seem dated and anachronistic. I dunno, I just think they are better songwriters than this. As always, your mileage may vary and flame away.

Jeff