Lambchop plays mellow set for packed Motorco crowd

All photos by Kevin Norris

Enduring Nashville indie band Lambchop rolled into Motor Music Hall in Durham on Saturday night in support of their eleventh studio album Mr. M, released in February (check out the album review HERE).

The show was more subdued than their recent Triangle gigs. The five-piece band kicked things off with a laid back version of "Give It" before launching into a set of mostly songs from Mr. M. "If Not I'll Just Die," 2B2" and "Gone Tomorrow" were highlights from the set, though the band painted a lush soundscape on every song.

As the band wrapped the songs from the new album, the banter picked up and featured some jokes, both good and bad, from pianist Tony Crow. At one point he said that they were Lambchop and he hoped everyone had a good time, and then added "if you've had a bad time, we are the Kings of Leon."

To close the set, the band pulled out some excellent tunes from their back catalog including "My Blue Wave," "The Saturday Option" and "Soaky in the Pooper," thought the energy level didn't rise much.

Though the band said they needed to head back to the hotel by a quickly approaching time, they returned for a two-song encore featuring a stellar cover of the Brian Wilson penned Glen Campbell tune "Guess I'm Dumb" and finally "The Man Who Loved Beer" from 1996's How I Quit Smoking.

Crooked Fingers opened the show as a duo featuring Eric Bachmann and Liz Durrett. The pair sounded fantastic as they shot through a short set spanning Bachmann's entire catalog.

The duet on "Sleep All Summer" was amazing and Bachmann even took a risk with a great reward when he and Durrett stepped to the front of the stage to play "Your Control" completely unplugged for the packed room. The set closed with "So Long, Savannah" from Bachmann's 2006 solo album To the Races. Much like the band's set at the Cat's Cradle last year, the set left us wanting more.

Lambchop setlist
Give It
If Not I'll Just Die
2B2
The Good Life (Is Wasted)
Kind Of
Gone Tomorrow
Betty's Overture
Mr. Met
Nice Without Mercy
Buttons
Never My Love
?
My Blue Wave
The Saturday Option
Soaky in the Pooper
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Guess I'm Dumb
The Man Who Loved Beer

Crooked Fingers setlist
Carrboro Woman
Bad Blood
You Can Never Leave
Weary Arms
Your Apocalypse
Sleep All Summer
New Drink for the Old Drunk
Your Control
So Long, Savannah

Lambchop




Crooked Fingers