DR. DOG @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 8/26/08
Williamsburg is an interesting town. My sensibilities protect me from flocking but it is hard to avoid its charm. Each bar, each store, each inhabitant are pretty consistent with my tastes and the music is unmistakably supple. Philadelphia, the city that drowns me in pride, is very, very different but that is not for now.
Let’s talk about the openers. The first band I did not know and did not care for. The singer didn’t open his mouth and they had the chemistry of a doctor performing a physical on a new male patient. It looked like a sixth grade talent show.
R. Stevie Moore, the undeniable godfather of DIY recording, opened for them. A hero to the headliners, the “Senator’s” music is strange, and “Elephant Overdrive Avenue” was a real gem. Here are some of the lyrical highlights;
“Beware the piles of poo/ You scrape it off your shoe/ You lick and then you lose/ You won’t make it with brown shoes.”
Dr. Dog was relatively unsharp. I had the time of my life because they are my favorite band, but they didn’t sound as “on” as usual. No talk in between songs, the only old favorites they played off Easy Beat were the title track and “Oh No.” Hopefully when I see them next Friday in D.C. they will be a bit looser and relaxed.
