Heartland View

Media Credit: Clint Wiederholt

Media Credit: Clint Wiederholt

Media Credit: Clint Wiederholt

You could go see Tom Petty or The Killers with thousands of other people, but there is no way to see them in an intimate environment at a small smoky bar like Knickerbockers.

So rather than seeing a rock band you hear on the radio every day, I chose to see The Bottle Rockets at Knickerbockers in Lincoln, Neb., on March 9.

Both opening bands were local acts from the Lincoln, Neb., area. The Loup River Band and Street Choir went on first playing a good set of songs highlighted by a Black Sabbath cover.

The Bellflowers took the stage next and instantly summoned the spirit of Johnny Cash for their classic country inspired set.

The Bottle Rockets, from Festus, Mo., finally took the stage after setting up their own instruments and spending a few minutes tuning them (another thing you'll never see The Killers or Green Day do.)

They tore into one of their heaviest songs right away, "Gotta Get Up," A workingman's blues of their own with the unforgettable lyrics: "Gotta get up. Gotta go to work. Then I come home and I gotta go to bed. Cause I gotta get up…"

"You're a dying breed." Bottle Rockets lead singer Brian Henneman said to the audience between songs, " a lot of people just wait for someone else to write about the show on the Internet. You're the difference between us staying in a Red Roof Inn or a Motel 6." After showing his appreciation for the crowd his band tore into another number of their twenty plus song set.

After a two song encore to wrap up the evening, The Bottle Rockets scattered into their post gig routine.

Henneman ran outside for a cigarette, not even taking time to take off his guitar, drummer Mark Ortmann headed to the back of the room to sell the band's merchandise, and the guitarist John Horton and bass player Keith Voegele began to put their instruments up.

After buying the band's live CD, only sold on their Web site and at shows, I got it signed by all four members. A huge advantage of a small concert is being able to shake the band's hands and tell them how much you enjoyed the show.

I've seen Tom Petty, but so did a few thousand other people that day. I've seen some bands in a room of only five or six people. I'd much rather pay to see a band that needs money to stay in a hotel room rather than to put in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. As far as concerts go, you can't beat a smoky bar.

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