The Bottle Rockets on Saturday night: should be a good DVD

Note: Photos by Erica Magda.

It was pretty obvious that The Bottle Rockets were getting recorded for a DVD on Saturday night.

No, it wasn't just the cameras and equipment set up around The Highdive in Champaign, It wasn't the packed crowd. No no no, it was the sense of grandeur. It was the sense that this needed to be made something special.

The Bottle Rockets acted like they knew they were being filmed (lead singer Brian Henneman made numerous references to it), so the movements were more epic, the songs were more rocking and the band were more energetic. After all, it needed to look good on tape, and they needed to take it to the next level.

And that's not a bad thing necessarily. In fact, it made for quite a show, which lasted for nearly two-and-a-half hours. In addition, their setlist picked from their entire career, which ensured it was a show to remember.

Still, this made for some forced moments early in the set. They were nervous. After all, if this failed, the live performance wouldn't be worthy of release, and a lot of money would be wasted.

The band's sound, a mix of country and hard rock, was well-suited in The Highdive's surprisingly good sound, and the twin guitars of Henneman and John Horton. They loosened up as well, and they jammed hard, with Horton and Henneman battling it out in long solos.

The band excelled best when they were keeping it to the fast songs, such as "Kerosene" and "Radar Gun," yet "Welfare Music" hit a poignant note, with the audience singing along.

They also played a healthy amount from their new record, Lean Forward, scheduled to come out later this year (after the release of the DVD, which is the reason so many songs were included from it). They sounded like prime Bottle Rockets, and after 16 years of putting out records, that's what we have come to expect.

Live, the songs stretched out, and the rhythm section was able to breathe. Major props go to drummer Mark Ortmann, and basssist Keith Voegele, who kept their cool yet kept as steady as humanly possible throughout the entire show (and for a show that long, it was a big feat).

And after two hours of playing, they were even called back (a "true encore," as Henneman put it), playing some more great songs (the best being "Kit Kat Clock").

Yeah, it should make for a good DVD.