by Mike Orren

It's a celebration of their career to date, and their potential. If you miss it, you hate Dallas, music, and probably yourself.

DEEP ELLUM — To be fair, you need to understand that I'm a huge Old 97's fan, dating back to the mid-nineties; and that I came into tonight's second of four consecutive shows at Sons of Hermann Hall predisposed to like the product.

I don't mean that to be dismissive though, because among easily 75+ shows over 15 years, tonight's was easily in the top three for me.

For those Dallas music lovers living under a rock, Dallas' most revered active rock band (save for maybe the Toadies) is home for the holidays and to record an album, playing four shows that include opening solo sets from their vocalists and a closing set from the full band that, aside from the inevitable final "Timebomb," promises no repeats.

Much like the prior night, the evening started with a set from Murry Hammond. My admiration for his solo disc is well documented -- as is my occasional too-close-to-home discomfort with his lyrics. Tonight was the first time I saw him solo, and I was, as expected, dumbstruck -- in a good way. He comes across both subdued and amplified -- filling the room with an old-timey sound that is almost otherworldly, while still retaining a John Denver-esque earnestness. The otherworldly side was heightened on a Carter Family tune where he played harmonium, an instrument I'll warrant that much of the chatty crowd had never heard before.

Rhett Miller's solo set took the evening into an expected poppier vibe. Although the purer pop is my least favorite guise of the 97's clan (like saying it's my least favorite variety of ice cream sundae), it started with my favorite of the solo tunes: "This is What I Do," and continued pleasingly for about a half-hour. He closed his set with a favorite rarity that I'd long forgotten, despite screaming for it back in the day: "Oh Erica" (to the tune of "America, the Beautiful.")

It's a real treat to catch this "Evening With" format, as it gives insight to the disparate styles that meld into The Old 97's -- country, folk and pop seamlessly mixed together. And then thrown into the rock show that wrapped it all up.

I can only compare the full band set to my own 97's experiences and the reports of the prior night's show: My first impression is that this is a band at the height of their musical powers. As I said, I've seen more than 75 shows, and this was the top musically for me. Every time I see the band, they all get better and tighter, but for me each outing is a reinforcement of the awesomeness of lead guitarist Ken Bethea. Tonight was no exception as he tore the house down on solos and provided intricate fills.

Further, there were none of last night's reported flubs -- if anything, the setlist was both extremely well thought out and well-executed -- When I say it was the best version of standby "Big Brown Eyes" I'd ever heard, that says something. The main set was bookended by "Nightclub" and "Dressing Room Walls," telling the story of the band's struggles through the years better than any biography could. Even within those songs, belying a great indie cred, they worked in their two poppiest tunes: "Murder or a Heart Attack" and "19." And it somehow all hung together. The lighter "Murder" transitioned into a rave-up rendition of "If My Heart Was A Car" that left the room breathlessly rowdy.

Like the prior night -- and I'm sure the next two nights -- rarities won the crowd. Tonight's stars were Johnny Cash's "Let the Train Blow the Whistle" and "In the Satellite Rides the Star."

For me, the high point was "St. Ignatius," which is the first 97's song with this band configuration and the closest thing to "our song" that my wife and I have. I also really loved the amped-up version of "Here's to the Halcyon" from their latest disc.

After the main set, Rhett and Murry appeared as the Ranchero Brothers, showing off the Simon and Garfunkel-esque harmonies. And after a sizzling encore, the show ended with the inevitable rendition of "Timebomb."

How good was it overall? I consider myself one of the Old 97's biggest fans, and I was convinced I could only cough up two nights-- tonight and Wednesday. But I think I'll spend tomorrow evening with some old friends as well -- This is really a rare holiday treat, getting to see our hometown heroes at the peak of their powers and in the best situation possible. I can't imagine wasting a moment.

Don't forget that Salim Nourallah and Rip Rowan have been recording every note. Salim told me tonight that the band is thinking of recording their next album at the Sons -- which is on the cusp of its 100th anniversary. For one of our city's best bands to tap into one of its best and most historic venues can only be a good thing.