Images: Lucero, Brock and Sal of TheCore. July 10, 2012 at the Beauty Bar

If you were at Lucero’s July 10 show at the outdoor Beauty Bar stage, you probably have the sweat stains to prove it. It was unrelentingly hot and humid that night, but no one seemed to mind, as everyone’s favorite punk/rock/country hybrid band were in town.

We were, of course, excited to see Ben Nichols and crew, but it was also a treat to see our friends Brock and Sal (of TheCore.) in the opening spot. They put on a great set, which included a mix of each of their solo material, stripped down TheCore. songs and a cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” (which had a strangely cool little Offspring “The Kids Aren’t Alright” interlude in the middle). The crowd was really receptive to their brand of gruff acoustic punk.

It seems that Lucero’s constant touring, including a recent stop in Vegas on the Warped Tour and last year’s three nights opening for Social Distortion at the HOB has led to a huge growth in their Vegas following. This time around, their blend of Americana, country and punk brought out a much larger crowd than they had at their 2008 show at the same venue. This led to a really fun atmosphere and a good times (except maybe for those who were part of a small bar fight that temporarily stopped the show.) A good chunk of Lucero’s set was dedicated to their excellent new album Women and Work, but the highlight for me was hearing songs from their back catalog fleshed out with the band’s current horn section.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/

and Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens