RAPID CITY, S.D. – Old Crow Medicine Show brought a fever dream blend of bluegrass, folk, and Americana to the Black Hills on Sunday, making their South Dakota debut at the Monument Fine Arts Theatre on Oct. 12. The Grammy-winning band delivered a zany, high-energy show that was less a concert and more a hootenanny, delighting the Rapid City audience.
The evening kicked off with opener Meels, a California-based female and male duo, who were playing their final show as support for Old Crow Medicine Show. The lead singer, who switched between an acoustic guitar and a banjo sporting a raccoon tail, possessed a huge voice with haunting qualities reminiscent of Patsy Cline. Her musical partner, Patrick, provided impressive acoustic guitar accompaniment and vocal harmonies. Meels latest single “The Wizard” was very memorable with the lyric ‘My mind is full of flees.’ The band is excited for their upcoming album dropping this January and was excited to get to see South Dakota buffalo on their way to Denver.
Old Crow Medicine charged the stage without warning, the atmosphere immediately shifted. Frontman Ketch Secor, the band’s energetic ringleader, came out blazing like a punk band with the tune “Cocaine Habit.” The band’s stage presence was one of constant dancing and fanfare, with whooping and hollering from the crowd.
Secor addressed the spirited audience, declaring the event the “hillbilly equivalent of a powwow. A hootananny!” Secor managed to slip a piece of South Dakota into almost every song’s lyric: Pennington County Jail, Rapid Creek, Sturgis, Bear Butte…
The performance was a showcase in virtuosity and versatility. The band members demonstrated remarkable proficiency, constantly trading instruments among guitars, banjos, violins, drums, accordions, harmonicas, pianos, and bass. The infectious energy made it impossible not to smile throughout the set. The band and even stage hands would come out for bluegrass style dance solos and even baton twirling.
The main set was followed by an encore that included a cover of The Band’s classic “The Weight,” for which Old Crow Medicine Show invited the duo Meels back on stage to join them. The show marked the first time that either Old Crow Medicine Show or Meels had performed in South Dakota.
