Photo by Jenn Ross
“When you have a relationship with God’s perfect promise…”
“All the left wants to do is take guns away from the good guys…”
🎵 Got me a truck! Got me a dog! Campfires and girls!🎵
The road through Central Florida reminds a traveller why Trumpism exists. It seems unconscionable to think Ron DeSantis has a chance to win another term as governor of Florida, or that millions of people voted for a man who tried to overturn a democratic election by force.
But if you believe it is God’s will to establish a white supremacist state, you will vote for the least god-like of characters.
A Keep America Great sign on the right followed by a series of messages reminding drivers of the need to “investigate the steal.” Radio station after radio station broadcasting racist platitudes and appeals to reject facts.
This scene is a shock after watching Drive-by Truckers band leader Patterson Hood play two hours of his tunes for a captivated audience at Tuffy’s Music Box in Sanford, FL. After a year and some change spent at home, driving through the Florida countryside feels like crossing an intergalactic border to reveal a society so foreign from one’s own as to be unrecognizable.
A few different life decisions and many of the people in the room last night could have ended up Trumpers. Yet, there we were with Patterson Hood, a man who embodies progressive Southern thought. A man whose accent remains thick as Alabama clay. A spokesperson for regular folks who do not walk around with glaring hate in their hearts. Whose songs remain rooted in North Alabama while firm in their examination of the American experience from afar.
Photo by Jenn Ross
Sanford is famous for being the place where George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin. Hood himself has a line in one of his songs about the killing.
“That guy who killed that kid down in Florida standing ground/is free to beat up on his girlfriend and wave his brand new gun around” -”What It Means” from American Band by Drive-by Truckers*
Sanford is both the place in the headlines and a town with a burgeoning music scene that is home to several of the greater Orlando area’s best songwriters. Folks like Hannah Harber, Patrick Hagerman, Jordan Foley, and Thomas Wynn all call Sanford home.
Tuffy’s Music Box, the venue for Patterson’s first of two Florida shows on this run, is a newer spot already making its name known. Having so much local talent on call, the ambition to bring in respected national artists, a great-sounding room, and respect for the music creates a delectable cocktail.
Sitting in that room one could be led to believe America is righting itself. Sanford is no liberal oasis. Yet, at Tuffy’s you get the feeling we can all coexist. A person could be a Republican and not want to attack the rights of people of color. That we could sit at the bar and have a civil policy debate.
As the miles between Sanford and St. Augustine click by, a few things come to light. Those of us who live near downtown Orlando exist for the most part in an echo chamber. The sentiments present in Patterson Hood’s songs are right at home in The Milk or Mills 50 districts. But, no one is pining for “Darkened Flags at the Cusp of Dawn” an hour down the road in Bunnell.
Photo by Jenn Ross
Patterson Hood treated the crowd at Tuffy’s Music Box to a sampling of his entire catalog. Everything from early DBT off Pizza Deliverance to new songs he needed a cheat sheet to attempt. He even played the much maligned “The Flying Wallendas,” a song Truckers fans often cite as the worst of the band’s efforts. Hearing the tune at Tuffy’s, with Patterson telling the story behind the song with tenderness and grace, made it land like one of the legendary trapeze artists wowing a crowd rather than the thud with which it is often met.
Hood avoided “What It Means” in Sanford. Why risk poking the bear? The song is one of Patterson’s strongest but he knows his audience. Chances are, it would have been well-received. It’s just not necessary with hours of brilliant material from which to choose. Patterson Hood is an expert performer who is able to balance his creative needs with the desires and whims of his audience.
Everything about Hood’s setlist is chosen in an artful manner. He plays a new song then backs it up with something everyone wanted to hear. “Heathens” after a couple of newer tunes for example. Patterson left a lot on the table and we still walked away sated. No “Let There Be Rock” on this night, but “Sinkhole” and “Heathens” and a few more old favorites are on display.
No set break. Two plus hours of songs and stories. A balanced set in a venue that is run well by musicians who give a damn about the song. All's right in the world. We are getting back to the existence to which we aspire. Shedding our masks and learning our lessons.
“When we put God at the forefront of sex in our marriage, He will bless…”
“Here’s what Nancy Pelosi had to say about our brave men and women in blue, ‘Black Americans should be able to walk down the street without fear of being shot by police.’ Can you believe that?! Does the Radical Left have no limit to their...”
A turtle ducks as we all try to miss it. A progression of brake lights flashing into action in service of this wild creature. Two cars circle back for the assist. The Trump signs fade from relevance for a brief window. The “duality of the Southern Thing” as Patterson puts it.
St. Augustine comes into view. The Bridge of Lions ushering travellers onto the island and toward one of Florida’s underrated and most beautiful venues, The St. Augustine Amphitheatre. One can book a campsite at the breathtaking Anastasia State Park and walk from your campsite to the show. The experience always delivers.
Photo by Jenn Ross
A couple on vacation with their grandkids, folks who grew up on Blue Oyster Cult and are celebrating their 40 somethingth wedding anniversary, offer an opener for drugstore wine. The biggest lesson they learned over four decades is to go ahead and fight if you need to fight. 360 degrees of beauty and positivity.
It is time for night two of Patterson Hood solo. Just over a hundred tickets available total. Not the intimate setting of Tuffy’s but still a magical setting. The folks in this crowd resemble the one at Tuffy’s.
A couple comes over and strikes up a conversation. Says they think Jason Isbell lost a step with Southeastern and do not like his new stuff. Too polished, they say. They like Old 97s and Drivin N’ Cryin. Their daughter is a journalist covering the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. We agree to disagree about Isbell.
The setlist is similar to Tuffy’s. Take out “Wallendas.” Substitute “Grand Canyon.” Same banter told from a different angle. “Living Bubba” during the encore again with “Let There Be Rock” as the punctuation on a great night.
Five years ago there would be a trip to the ocean after the show. Maybe skinny dip while the moon reflects on the Atlantic. Waves lapping against naked thighs. Tonight the mission is to get ready for bed and fall asleep to Truckers songs. Real adult life awaits tomorrow but for now let’s soak up the post-show glow.
Photo by Jenn Ross
Living in a loving, progressive bubble is good in that one avoids exposure to some terrifying elements of American society. White nationalism. Grassroots authoritarianism. Bad things.
Staying in the bubble was unavoidable last year during a once in a hundred year pandemic. Doing so fortified certain beliefs in all of us.
There are lessons to be learned from Patterson Hood’s ability to plant one foot deep in the South while keeping the other firm on the side of self-examination. It’s not all bad out there, but a healthy amount of concern should be maintained.
Music will not save us. Morgen Wallen still has a platform. As does Kid Rock. That guy from Big and Rich matters to lots of people. But, getting out and having conversations with folks will help. To say it was good medicine to get out of town, see friends, scroll radio stations, visit a cool brewery, camp, meet sweet folks, and watch one of the greatest songwriters in a generation display his craft would be selling short what happened.
Under normal circumstances, two nights of Patterson Hood would be a delight and leave an important impression. This trip is more than a delight. It is a reexamination of what matters and how to proceed in the world post pandemic, post dictatorial coup attempt, post breakdown in the Rule of Law.
Life in the bubble is beautiful but incomplete. A curated existence centered around getting up and doing the work of being a better person while acknowledging that many of your views have been wrong and will be wrong is the reason Patterson Hood’s music matters. As we resume going to shows, let’s hope to stay firm in our convictions but open to the lessons music, travel, and communal experience affords us.
Photo by Jenn Ross
*Contrary to the popular narrative, Stand Your Ground was not at issue in the case. Zimmerman’s lawyers never brought it up. A lot of folks think Stand Your Ground is a license to kill. What the law says means is when you are evoking self-defense for a justifiable homicide, you do not have to show evidence that you first tried to flee.
Many states require a person to prove they tried to get away from a lethal situation before meeting it with similar force. Florida does not. A shitty person from my hometown introduced this law to the Florida legislature. Him being shitty does not mean there is not a nuanced conversation to be had about the policy. This is an example of how we get divided.