Review of Dr. Dog show at Kung Fu Necktie on Tuesday 11/22/11

What hasn't already been said?  The Swollen Fox blog called it one of the best shows of the year.  Philly.com's music blog Phrequency echoed that, calling it "one of the raddest shows of the year", and noted:

"It was a rare gem to witness a band, who just announced two shows at the Electric Factory in March (which equals nearly 6,000 people over a two night span), play to 100 fans and friends in a small intimate bar."

Yeah, that about sums it up.  Tickets to this sold out in under 5 minutes, and unless you were on Facebook when it was announced, and quick fingered, you missed it.   It was classic Dr. Dog, in terms of impeccable performance that tends to win over even the most curmudgeonly souls.  It was also, surprisingly, classic Dr. Dog in terms of set list.  They opened the set with one very early Dr. Dog song, and one new song, so I assumed we were in for a tour warm-up show where they play only all new stuff or deep, deep cuts, bypassing the favorites of the past 3 albums.   Which would still have made for a good show; but that wasn't the case at all.  Much of the set was from their excellent last album, Shame, Shame, with plenty of favorites mixed in from previous albums, like "Oh No" and "Worst Trip".   The two new songs they played, for the record, were well-crafted, joyous affairs, and I wouldn't be surprised if this next album bumps them up a level or two on the indie rock ladder. 

It deserves mention that Philly's Mitch Fiction & The Shits were surprise, unannounced openers for the show.  Mitch Fiction is made up of one former Dr. Dog member, and several guys (former members of National Eye, Like Moving Insects, and Raccoon) who Toby and Scott have known for many years.  They don't play out often, but were a good fit for the show, musically and from a homecoming perspective.  The Swollen Fox blog admiringly noted that Dr. Dog didn't have to pick a friend band to open, as if they were somehow put-upon to do so.  But, knowing what I know about this band, I think Dr. Dog welcomed the chance to share the stage with old friends, and to not have to fight their management over whether to have a crowd-drawer of an opener who means nothing to them, or friends who might have less ticket-sale cachet.
It is a complicated world at the level of success that Dr. Dog occupies (with entire management teams, publicists, booking agents, and labels to answer to), and something as simple as letting your friends open your show can be way harder for a popular band to finagle than you might imagine.

The set list (borrowed from the Phrequency blog):

Fuck It / new song / Easy Beat / Hang On / Control Yourself / Stranger / Mirror, Mirror / The Ark / I Only Wear Blue / The Way The Lazy Do / Shame Shame / Shadow People / The Beach / Livin’ a Dream / Worst Trip / The Rabbit, The Bat, and the Reindeer / Heart It Races (Architecture In Helsinki cover) / Oh No // Encore: Warrior Man / Fat Dog / Nobody Knows Who You Are / Jackie Wants A Black Eye

The only negatives for me were some pretty obnoxious fans. Such as middle-aged guy wearing the Ron Paul shirt who violently lurched from side to side, forwards, and backwards the whole set, repeatedly elbowing people (and then sometimes affectionately placing his hand on top of strangers' heads - because that makes it all okay?).  Or how about the two pint-sized girls who opportunisticly weaseled their way to the front just at the moment we stepped aside to let the band actually get on stage, thus managing to both butt in front of people who'd been waiting in the same spots for hours, and get in the band's way.   The one who took the cake, though, was another short woman who pretended to be trying to retrieve something dropped on the floor, near the stage, and instead just jumped into the spot newly made by people who stepped aside to let her get her non-existant stuff.   Way to go, you just got yourself closer to the stage by taking advantage of our instinct to be courteous.  You fan, you.   I know it comes with the territory, but the older I get, the less patience I have for that sort of douche-baggery.  Anyway - moving on.

I enjoyed most of the set from just off the stage, but eventually had to make my way to the back of the bar to get some air and to leave the fray to the younger fans.  Maybe these kids haven't seen Dr. Dog many times before - I've seen them about 16 times over the years.  And there was more room at the back for this curmudgeonly soul to dance and sing along to hearts content.

Dr. Dog will be releasing a new 7" on the Black Friday edition of Record Store Day, and have two all-ages dates scheduled at the Electric Factory in March. 

Not from the boxcar-sized KFN, but from the 9:30 Club last January. My photo.