Music Scene in the Nebraska Panhandle!

Sometimes, I am able to step back from my own perceived issues and take a look at the issues of someone else.  No matter how bad you think you have it, there is someone else who can evoke feelings of pity from you.  Such is the case with Mr. Jimmie Van Zant.

In the panhandle of Nebraska, there are few choices for entertainment.  Very seldom does musical entertainment that fits my likes find its way here.  On the 3rd of July this past summer, one of the local bars made a very lame attempt at bringing some “rock & roll” to the panhandle.  The area is flooded with extremely lame cover-bands, so this bar thought it would bring in a person with a semi-famous last name so that person could perform hit songs!  YEAH!… right?  Except this person really has no claim to fame himself.  He is riding the coattails of famous relatives of his which makes him and his band a… uh… cover-band.

Jimmie VanZant

Every time I see this, I have to laugh.  I’m not laughing with you, Mr. Van Zant, I’m laughing at you.   Jimmie is performing hits… by his first cousins.   Hahaha!  Seriously?!?  How lame of a promo is that?

“I’ve never really amounted to much of anything, but my cousins had some success, so I’m gonna be performing some of their songs.  Come see me perform, ’cause I got famous cousins!  And I ain’t talking about 2nd or 3rd cousins… these are 1st cousins!”

For crying our loud.  Don’t you just feel for Jimmie?  I do.  I feel really bad for him.  He had first cousins in two bands that are icons of Southern Rock… and the biggest fame he could find is riding their coattails like 30 years later.  Poor dude.  My way of thinking leads me to believe that if he really had any talent, his cousins could have got him on with Lynyrd Skynyrd or 38 Special… not left him hanging only to cover their hits 30 years after the fact… at a dinky bar… in the-middle-of-nowhere Nebraska.  I realize that Jimmie may have been to young to perform with the great bands during their heydays, but as far as I know, both Lynard Skynyrd and 38 Special still tour.  Of course, maybe Jimmie just wants to do his own thing.  Why play with the actual bands that had the hits when you can cover their songs and promote your 1st-cousin-status.  Oh well.

Even more pathetic than Jimmie Van Zant is his opening act.  The Driving Dynamics have quite a reputation around these parts.  They are, after all, the “longest running rock & roll band in Nebraska”.  I think Larry Soto is actually the founder of this group… and he still plays… and sings.  Yeah, if you are thinking what I am thinking, the dude has to be like 90-years-old.  That has to be entertaining.  I’ve heard that Larry is like the only one of the original members who still plays.  I guess he either fired the rest, they quit to enjoy the fruits of grand-parenthood, or they have died of old age.  You can only imagine how exciting one of The Driving Dynamics’ shows must be.

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old rockers,driving synamics

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Looking at the current band members according to the band’s website, Larry plays guitars and does vocals.  The Dynamics also have two additional vocalists and a drummer.  Three singers, one guitar and drums… and apparently a tape player playing bass, keyboard and whatever else is needed.   That’s gotta suck 🙂  But the old Germans love this group, apparently because, even at 90, Larry makes the gray-hairs swoon.

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fans,old rockers,driving dynamics
Larry took this picture while looking down at his multitude of fans

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Yeah, western Nebraska ain’t known for its music scene…