Micky & The Motorcars and Reckless Kelly in North Carolina

So, if you are a regular reader of this site, then you know I am not lacking in love for the Brothers Braun. And it having been three months since the last show, I was definitely overdue. Hello Charlotte and Raleigh, where Reckless Kelly and Micky & the Motorcars made stops on their Southeast tour playing the Neighborhood Theatre and Lincoln Theatre respectively. 

With well over a dozen albums between them, both bands have plenty of material choose from; and that they did, playing a mix of songs old and new. The Motorcars opened Sunday's set with "Naive" mixing in "The Band Song," with "Hearts From Above," "Seashell" and "Ain't In It For The Money," among others. Micky got a break while Gary took lead vocals on "Twilight" and the terrific "You Led Me The Wrong Way" from their July release Hearts From Above. Energetic and enthusiastic (watch Dustin and Bobby play); it was more than obvious that they love what they do--and the crowd loved them right back.

Reckless started out their set with a cover of Springsteen's "My Love Will Not Let You Down" and played songs ranging from ballads ("Mirage") to out and out rockers ("American Blood") and some excellent covers including "Bird Dog." One of the highlights of their shows is when things quiet down a bit and Willy performs a solo, this time a stripped down version of "Romeo and Juliet," (that's right, a Dire Straits cover) and the rest of the guys join in for "Wicked Twisted Road." It's always nice to hear Cody sing, as he did on "Windfall" and a special treat to see Jay's father Tom take the lead on "Running Bear." The Motorcars returned to close out the night with "Highwayman" and Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream." Pretty perfect.

If Sunday night was almost perfect, Monday night was the definition of "killer." Both bands seemed more...amped up if you will. It's great to have a good time, drink and enjoy the show, but it adds so much more when you look up and see that the bands themselves are having a blast. The Motorcars switched up their set a bit including "Little Baby" and "Long & Lonely Highway" at a fan's request. And as with the previous night, the crowd went crazy when they played "Carolina Morning," but when RK joined them for "Nobody's Girl" the excitement was off the charts. Once again, they closed with "Stay With Me."

Reckless took the stage and just barreled through great song after great song until they reached the night's stripped down offerings which included the tremendous "Papa Was A Rodeo" and "God Forsaken Town" after which Willy laughingly commented how depressing that one was and went full throttle into, as I like to call them, "The Motorcycle Songs," "Seven Nights in Eire" and the deceptively happy Beatles tune "Run For Your Life." There was a lot more chatting with the crowd and storytelling, especially from Willy, who said he "hadn't had one of these rants in awhile" and proceeded, with humor, to compare childhoods from the past and present (and cell phone use at shows) prior to "Save Me From Myself." They closed with the Motorcars on "Ain't Living Long Like This."

It's just ridiculous how good these guys are, from the vocals to the songwriting to the musicianship. You never walk away disappointed.....well, maybe only because the show is over! Now where will I have to go in three month's time?

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Courtesy RK Facebook