By Julie Burlingame
News Reporter

Some of you may have heard of the Reverend Horton Heat through sheer reputation. He's been around for years delivering what fans term "psychobilly" to the unsaved masses on endless tours. It's difficult to find a concert-goer in Houston that hasn't seen or doesn't know someone who's seen the Reverend live.

Thurday night, the Reverend played his brand of salvation to a sold-out crowd at Numbers. Kim Lenz and Her Jaguars opened the show with a catchy blend of rockabilly and swing that easily transitioned into the Reverend's unique sound.

The band opened with the instrumental "Big Sky" and faded into "Baddest of the Bad," both from the album Liquor in the Front .

The contrast between Jim Heath's (guitar and lead vocals) demeanor and audience reaction was stark; Heath remained cool and calm the entire concert. The only time Heath showed any heat was in his comments on the Dallas Observer's having placed 

Space Heater (1998) on its Ten Worst Albums of the year list. Ouch!

The Reverend then spun out "Jimbo," (from Space Heater ) to a wildly appreciative audience. Unfortunately for fans, the band was still smarting from the Observer's insult, and played nothing else from that album for the rest of the concert.

The Rev. played many of his most-loved songs throughout the evening, but the main portion of the show consisted of songs from his upcoming album, Spend a Night in the Box , due in stores Mar. 21. The most popular songs of the evening were "400 Bucks,""Low Flying Plane" and the ever-popular, never-been-legally-recorded "Nurture my Pig," as determined by mosh pit frenzy and audience sing-along.

Even during the encore, Horton remained cool and collected. He calmly stood on the side of Jimbo Wallace's bass, while both were still playing

"Psychobilly Freakout," a trademark Rev. Horton Heat move. 

The band ended the set with a 15-minute "Big Red Rocket of Love," that featured extensive

solos by each of the members, including a jaw-dropping solo by drummer Scott Churilla.

Even with that, one of the most surreal parts of the concert was seeing the large mosh pit bordered by couples swing dancing. That alone should somewhat help you visualize the wide diversity of the Rev. Horton Heat's fans.