Old 97’s rocked out to old tracks and new during their NON-COMM Free at Noon

The Dallas based alt country four piece Old 97’s brought the house down and got our house of radio conglomerates cheering at the NPR Music Stage at this year’s WXPN NON-COMM. The second half of Wednesday’s Free at Noon double header, the band performed tracks from the late 90s up to the most recent music from their discography. The set began with an oldie, “Barrier Reef” from their 1997 album, Too Far To Care. They are still riding high from their 30th-anniversary tour for that record which concluded in the fall, taking us through a set that showcased their continued presence in the industry.

They played plenty of crowd favorites that had the room singing along, and it was clear there was something in the air while they played. The way Ken Bethea shreds his guitar, Murray Hammond’s smooth bass lines, and Philip Peeples killing it on the drums in “Murder or a Heart Attack”—it’s a combo that’s hard to beat. During the transition between songs, they talks about their new LP, American Primitive, playing the album’s lead single “Where the Road Goes.”

In that song, Miller’s charismatic presence and standout vocals belted out “When you know everything was broken” like a young David Cassidy reminding everyone why Old 97’s has been such a staple in the rock and alt-country scenes. Ending the show, they left us with two fast tempo country leaning tracks “Good With God” – which they recorded with the great Brandie Carlile – and “Timebomb.”

Old 97’s have been touring decades now, and for a large stretch of 2024 already, playing shows across the U.S. and they will continue doing so this summer. Get details on their tour here and check out a gallery from their NON-COMM performance below.