CHEETAHS, HEAT, AND PUSSY!

What can be said about a Reverend Horton Heat show that hasn't been said a million times before? The man is tight. He's cocky, but he has reason to be-- he's good. Despite some disappointing albums as of late, his live shows never disappoint. The real test becomes whether his opening bands can keep up. The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs music is bar-grown, beer-fed rock 'n' roll. It isn't terrible, but it isn't original either. It's genius three minutes before you pass out, and at least entertaining when you're sober. Frank Meyer incites the crowd with promises to shut up and play, but a good band can ramble as long as they like and the people are happy. What can I say? You've seen one bar rock band, you've seen them all. Nashville Pussy, however, is 300 volts of electricity in a 9-volt battery stuck to your tongue. Any band with that many songs with the word "hell" in them is worth seeing, but musically they tear shit up. Guitarist Ruyter Suys plays with all the ferocity Angus Young ever did, only she's good to look at, too. She humped a guitar harder and better on stage than I've ever been fucked and still put the "Guitar God" mentality in an early grave. New bassist Katie Lynn Campbell showed she can certainly keep up with the rest of the band, churning through some of my personal faves like "High As Hell", "Shoot First, Then Run Like Hell", "Go To Hell", and "Fried Chicken and Coffee" like a champ-- a sexy, sexy champ. The Rev was the Rev. He cannot disappoint live; it's not in his nature. He was kind enough to prune the aforementioned disappointing songs and kept it primarily great classics like "The Devil's Chasin' Me" and "Where In The Hell Did You Go With My Toothbrush?" and had the crowd eating out of his nail-scarred hands. Naturally.