Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The dB's at Maxwell's
So, that was fun. Chris Stamey, Gene Holder, and Will Rigby look like older versions of themselves, but if it weren't for the voice I'd swear that the guy with the mustache and shaved head standing where Peter Holsapple was supposed to be wasn't him. Not that I'm one to talk; some people I haven't seen in years have had trouble recognizing me since I shaved my head, too. Peter doesn't look bad at all, he just looks way different. Aside from that mildly surprising visual aspect, The dB's neither shocked nor disappointed in their triumphant return to Hoboken last night.
Opening with "Ask For Jill" and "Big Brown Eyes" and leaning heavily on material from their classic first two albums, Stands For Decibels and Repercussion, the boys soldiered gamely through sound problems that got so bad that at one point they threatened to take a break just five or so songs into the set. Things improved, and though there seemed to be some tentative moments onstage, by the time they closed the set proper with "Neverland," they were locked in. Disappointingly, nothing from the classic Holsapple/Stamey album Mavericks made it into the set. Of the three new songs they played, the two in the encore set "That Time Is Gone" and "Something Real" really stood out as strong material. Photos here (not mine; my digital cam broke) and a great fan review here.
Set list (via A Penny's Worth):
Ask For Jill
Big Brown Eyes
Happenstance
Black & White
Hang Around With You (new Stamey)
Purple Hose
Lonely Is As Lonely Does
If And When
Molly Says
She’s Not Worried
Living a Lie
Dynamite
Cycles Per Second
World To Cry
I’m In Love
Love Is For Lovers
Neverland
encore:
That Time Is Gone (new Holsapple)
Something Real (new Stamey)
Amplifier
