Old Crow Medicine Show brought rocking fiddles, banjos and standup bass to the Riviera Theatre on Wednesday night. The band had not been through Chicago in almost three years. For a band that plays a lot of "old timey" music, there were great new pieces to this latest visit.

X

For many fans, the most important new piece was an old one. Original member Critter Fuqua is back with the band for the first time in years. Fuqua is the calming presence on stage. He is the perfect foil to the fast-jumping guitars and banjos around him. His voice sounded great on "Take 'Em Away," a classic from the band's first record, O.C.M.S.

X

Another wonderful new thing this night was that they played a heavy dose of their latest record, Carry Me Back. It's a strong one and the album's lead track, "Carry Me Back to Virginia," started the show with a bang. "Mississippi Saturday Night" may have been the wildest part of the whole show. Everyone was moving around the stage and some members were even hopping between their respective risers.

X

Traditional folk and old country music are filled with going-off-to-war songs. Vocalist and harp specialist Ketch Secor introduced "Levi" and some of the song's ideas. The lyrcis show a simple country boy who is loved at home, but never gets there:

X

Beyond the desert and the ocean

To the furthest fields at home

And when the bullets pierced his body

He was already gone

X

Back on the fun side, the band hit most of its fan favorites. The surprise was how young some of its fans were. A good amount of 20-somethings joined Secor as he led the crowd through a sing-along of the band's most popular tune, "Wagon Wheel." The song, partially penned by Bob Dyan, is the band's signature and one of the classics of the modern alt-country era.

X

The last great surprise came in the encores -- their first live attempt at John Denver's "Back Home Again." I loved it and they made it their own. It was clear that a good part of the younger crowd did not know the song, but it made me eager to hear the recorded version. The show finished with another cover, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and everyone left happy.

X

One thing I found humorous was how intent Secor was in making as many local references as possible. This went way past the normal "I love Chicago" or "How about those Bears?" banter. He obviously spent a good part of his day doing research. He name-checked multiple towns from Winnetka to Carbondale, and a few pancake houses, too. He even related a very descriptive tale of the trip from Milwaukee to Chicago and the cheese shops in between.

X

I had not seen the Old Crow before, but I will again. Their real country music and old-time folk made for a great night of music. The good news is they are coming to Milwaukee next month. I think I might hit one of those cheese shops.