Traditionally, the Sunday of C2C weekend in London has been home to the so-called ‘legends slot’ – where a performer with a discography going back decades shows just why they’ve earned that reputation – including the likes of Emmylou Harris and Marty Stuart. Old Crow Medicine Show may be relatively modern legends by comparison, having originally formed in 1998, but in that time they’ve become Grand Ole Opry members, won the Best Folk Album Grammy (for 2014’s ‘Remedy’), performed all over the world and had an array of incredible musicians join the band. They’ve been out in the UK playing at C2C all weekend and last night touched down in London for their final show of the trip.
The six-piece band arrived on stage around 7.20 PM and kicked off their set with ‘Tell It To Me’, from their 2004 album ‘OCMS’. It’s a lively, bright, twangy number that contrasts some slightly darker lyrics and had great honky-tonk vibes as well as showing off the group’s harmonies. Right from the off it was very clear that this was going to be a high-energy show, with band member Ketch Secor in particular standing out for his wild dancing whilst playing the harmonica and stealing bandmate Mike Harris’ hat!
From there the group rattled through a whopping 19 songs in 70 minutes, covering their 25-year career as well as throwing in covers like Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ and the Rolling Stones’ ‘Honky Tonk Women’ which saw all of them crowded around one microphone. However the standout cover for me (apart from one at the end of the set, more of which later) was Mason Via’s take on George Jones’s ‘White Lightning’. He brought a real rock and roll feel to the song, as well as showing off some very impressive Elvis-style dance moves – just one in his repertoire which also included high kicks during the punchy ‘Humdinger’ and leaps in the rapid-fire, fiddle-led ‘Tennessee Bound’. Not to be outdone, Corey Younts broke out the floss during ‘8 Dogs 8 Banjos’ to raucous laughter from the audience!
However, there was plenty of material for OCMS fans old and new to enjoy as well. ‘Alabama HighTest’ highlighted their tight harmonies, ‘Take ‘Em Away’ balanced a rollicking, sunny melody with some melancholy lyrics as the crowd swayed along, whilst ‘Paint This Town’ showed off some great storytelling and ‘Carry Me Back To Virginia’ was a great showcase for Ketch’s fiddle playing and Corey’s banjo skills. (Also a shout out to drummer Jerry Pentecost and Morgan Jahnig on the upright bass, who kept the show swinging and moving along throughout!) However the standout track for me was their a capella version of ‘Barrett’s Privateers’. Accompanied by the crowd clapping and stamping, they really captured the atmosphere of the song and delivered some huge notes that showed exactly just why they’re considered the best in the business.
One thing that really struck me was how the band all played off each other throughout the set, cracking jokes about everything from winning Greggs sausage rolls in a dance-off to ‘Chicken Pie’ to skinny dipping in the Thames in the intro to the swinging ‘Lord Willing And The Creek Don’t Rise’, which saw Corey deliver some impressive vocal runs as Ketch fanned him with his hat. Although the show is very obviously a slick, well-oiled machine, it’s also clear that the band members genuinely like each other and get along well, and that warm humour absolutely won over the audience from the off and made it really easy to connect and engage with their performance.
Undoubtedly the band’s best known song is ‘Wagon Wheel’, and when it came time to perform it they certainly delivered. The entire crowd was on their feet and singing along at top volume the whole time, practically lifting the roof off the O2, and when the band brought the song to a close they got the biggest cheer of the entire weekend by far. Even though it seemed impossible to top that, they managed it with aplomb with a ‘shouldn’t-work-but-does’ take on the Beastie Boys’ ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)’, before closing out the show with a gorgeous, uptempo rendition of ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ that took us to honky-tonk church.
Overall Old Crow Medicine Show delivered a sensational performance that’s sure to go down in C2C history as one of those ‘I was there when’ moments. They are all absolutely incredible musicians (you have to be if you’re going to be able to stretch and bend and manipulate songs like that and still make them sound fantastic), but also have amazing energy and stage presence and a brilliant camaraderie together as band members that makes it impossible to resist their charms. I had a huge grin on my face all the way through their set and it set an incredibly high bar for headliners Zac Brown Band – or indeed any other live act I’ll see this year. They showcased exactly what it is that’s kept them in the game for so long, and I for one can’t wait to see them back in the UK again soon.
Set list: 1. Tell It To Me 2. Alabama HighTest 3. Down Home Girl 4. Humdinger 5. Tennessee Bound 6. Lord Willing And The Creek Don’t Rise 7. Great Balls Of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis cover) 8. Take ‘Em Away 9. Paint This Town 10. Chicken Pie 11. 8 Dogs 8 Banjos 12. White Lightning (George Jones cover) 13. Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones cover) 14. Barrett’s Privateers 15. Carry Me Back To Virginia 16. Wagon Wheel 17. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) (Beastie Boys cover) 18. Will The Circle Be Unbroken Performance date: 12th March 2023
