The reviews are in: Soulhat is back!

Friday night’s performance was a perfect cap to the two-day run. Gone were the acoustic guitars and wide open spaces of Thursday. But the payoff was huge: from the opening notes of Good to Be Gone, the beast was back!

A sellout crowd grooved through about 135 minutes of boneshaking fury. Once again, the band mixed it up with a setlist that stretched from beginning (Barely, Better, My Man Joe, Garbage Man) to end (Luggage), to some crazy place inbetween (Stinkpot, Bonecrusher). The vibe onstage was exceptionally positive (lots of smiles and even some wackiness, when the band signed a fan’s poster during a song). And with so many old school regulars in town for the event, there were moments when it honestly felt like being back at the Black Cat or Steamboat — even Antone’s — circa 1992, when the Austin music scene was at it’s vibrant, jamming best. It’s been said that any time you can leave ’em wanting more, that’s a good thing. And they did that — Soulhat delivered big on an unexpected reunion that came to fruition in an amazing … three weeks. Whew!

Thanks to the fine folks at Antone’s for putting this together, and the countless others who will be bringing you tidbits from the run over the next few days.