The Scabs
Oct. 3, Zilker ParkWith Bob Schneider rocking his new Lovely Creatures, the crowd might have hoped for the veteran Austin songwriter to tease new material on a headlining set, but equally longtime partners in crime the Scabs were having none of it. A soupy dance floor and break in the rain made for an electric set, fireworks courtesy of the hardest working man in Austin show business. On the rock garden stage, the crowd blossomed with Wildflower Center overflow as Schneider got into sex-machine mode. The Scabs remain a righteous soul mob, popping with Chili Pepper flair and able to mambo with Havana finesse. “Pussy Fever,” bleeped with a boat horn, may have been the crew’s way of admitting that you can’t peddle smut at a “family friendly” event. That’s when Schneider raised the potty-talk to 11 with “Big Butts and BJs.” Virtuosity bloomed on “Walk This Way,” riffing more DMC than Aerosmith, segueing into “Entertainment Tonight” and dropping “Bombananza.” Adam Temple’s ample guitar skills drove the crowd to shake their muddy asses, and once Schneider gets on the soul train, it’s hard to get him off. Death metal “HEB,” a little bluegrass action, “Tarantula,” and we’re out – a sign that you’ve been serviced in Austin.
This article appears in October 9 • 2009.