There were certainly plenty of poignant moments - you don't want Farrar skipping out on his excellent ballads - but the quintet on stage was energetic and fun to watch (particularly bouncing, smiling bass player Andrew Duplantis) even if Farrar kept the between-song banter to a minimum, as his is wont. Whatever the case, the band was dynamic and rocking, when some past shows I've seen got mired in too many dirge-like musical excursions. Maybe it was the intimacy of the venue, maybe it was Farrar and his stellar band feeling how good the new songs are, even when played next to longtime fan favorites from 20 years ago. Sunday's show, though, was easily the best I've ever seen Son Volt. But I'd seen Son Volt a few times through the years, and while they were always good, their live shows never grabbed me the way Farrar's distinct, twang-touched voice and way with incisive lyrics do on his recorded work. My expectations for Son Volt's sold-out show at the Bartlett Sunday night were definitely up there, as I've listened to pretty much everything that band leader Jay Farrar has released for the better part of three decades, starting with Uncle Tupelo's 1990 debut, No Depression, up through Son Volt's excellent 2017 release Notes of Blue. The downside of having sky-high expectations for a concert is that you can easily be let down if a band is merely "good" or "great" and not "transcendent."
Son Volt headlined a sold-out show at the Bartlett on Sunday night.
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