Big Day Out #4: The Dandy Warhols at First Avenue (6/9/13)

I like you, yeah I like you...

Well hello again, everybody!  Welcome to Big Day Out #4!

In this edition of Big Day Out we decided it would be fun to send TCDroogsma down to his home away from home, First Avenue, for The Dandy Warhols concert.  This show was no ordinary gig, though, as the band was playing their 2000 album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia in its entirety.

So, Droogsy, what'd you think of the show?

As any loyal reader...or friend...or casual acquaintance of mine will attest, I'm prone to bouts of nostalgia.  In fact, on my worst days I pretty much drown in it.  Obviously, a lot of times this is a fault, and given the current trend of bands touring for older albums and playing them in their entirety, my propensity for nostalgia is suddenly being indulged to a very unhealthy degree.  However, like most unhealthy things, it's a lot of fun.

My history with The Dandy Warhols is actually closely linked with (fellow Newest Industry Contributor) MinneSarah's love of the band back in the late 90's.  I wasn't much of a fan back then, but the passing of time and, again, my unhealthy sense of nostalgia, have conspired to bring me around to the band.  To use a cliche, when it comes to The Dandy Warhols, they don't make 'em like this anymore.

It was very important that MinneSarah & I attend this show together, as we attended The Dandys show at First Avenue back in 2000 when they were touring for the initial release of Thirteen Tales.  It was a dreadful show, light on tunes and drowning is psychedelic, atmospheric drone.  In hindsight this was not surprising.  Thirteen Tales stands as the follow-up to their breakout album The Dandy Warhols Come Down, which turned out to be a bit of a curse.  It seems that, following Come Downs success, the band felt that they had license to indulge, not just on album, but on tour, where they were clearly battling the growing perception that they were "pop musicians" rather than "artists" through a mix of noise and, as Mike Skinner succinctly put it, "tour support."  It's one of a only a handful of shows we've ever walked out of before it ended and to this day it stands as a joke between MinneSarah & myself as one of the worst shows we've ever seen.

To be honest, I was surprised to learn that they were touring for the anniversary of Thirteen Tales at all.  Despite the fact that they've carved out a respectable career for themselves, to probably 85% of music fans, they're the one-hit wonders responsible for "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" off ...Come Down. They occupy the same place in most people's brains as Harvey Danger & Fastball.  A shame, to be sure, but the truth ain't always pretty.  For the band to take a more-than-a-decade-later victory lap for the less-successful follow-up album to their breakout seems counter-intuitive.

On the other hand, for a band that's been as lucky as The Dandy Warhol's have been over the years, it's only fitting that they would be playing a 13 song album in full to celebrate its thirteen year anniversary.  They were thumbing their noses back then and haven't quit since.

So, with a shot at redemption thirteen years in the making, how was the show?

Well, it was pretty great.



The band stuck to the script, opening the show with minimal introduction before easing into "Godless," the opening track from Thirteen Tales, it's pleasant guitar strum & horn accents providing a bit of a toes-in-the-water moment for both the band and the crowd.

(Crowd Sidenote:  I had no idea how well-attended this show would be for many of the reasons mentioned above.  I was pleasantly surprised to find First Avenue essentially packed with thirty-somethings who clearly held the album in high regard.  It was nothing but glasses and faded tattoos as far as the eye could see.)

As the band wrapped up "Godless" and started into "Mohammed" two things became clear.  First, the band left enough noise between songs that their was never complete silence, but they also didn't revel in the noise, thus allaying our concerns that they weren't too thrilled about revisiting an old album, but rather had shown up with the intention of doing its songs justice.  Second, when the tour promised a playing of Thirteen Tales "in its entirety," that meant that the album would be played front-to-back in order.

That second point may have seemed obvious, but on the only other occasion that MinneSarah and I've attended a tour with this format Evan Dando had almost no desire to play It's A Shame About Ray in order (and didn't even play the "Mrs. Robinson," the "hit" off the album, which he got away with on a technicality as it was the "secret track" on the album).  None of that mattered at that Lemonheads show as the Lemonheads are fantastic and it doesn't matter what order you get the songs, but I digress...

When it became clear that the band was sticking to the script the show became predictable for both the better and the worse.  While "Godless" & "Mohammed" provided little by way energy (save for keyboard player Zia's vigorous maraca work.  Seriously, I've been on a pretty zealous masturbation routine for 16 or 17 years now and there's no way I could shake maracas for the 10 minutes those two songs last.  The fact that she did so while remaining as oppressively foxy as my nostalgia-tinged mind remembered is nothing short of incredible), the knowledge that those songs would be followed by the turn-up-the-amps fuzz of "Nietzche" seemed to give that song an extra kick.

At this point it's important to note that the band sounded absolutely fantastic.  Courtney Taylor-Taylor's voice remains strong whether he was playing with harmonized falsetto's or the Lou Reed croak he'd adopted for Thirteen Tales.  Guitarist Pete Holmstrom & drummer Brent DeBoer may be a little grayer now than they were thirteen years ago, but they still nailed note-for-note renditions of the tracks.  The band was accompanied by two backup multi-instrumentalists (and I apologize for not knowing their names) who proved essential to recreating some of the more psychedelic moments of the albums.  Watching the band work through these songs so professionally was a genuine testament to why the band deserves to be taking victory laps this deep into their career.

The easy highlight of the first half of the set was the one-two-three punch of "Solid," "Horse Pills," & "Get Off," three songs that finally give the album a bit of hip-shaking sexuality.  Based on the reaction of the crowd, they are also three songs that had been forgotten, as the crowd (myself included) appeared to all receive an adrenaline rush simultaneously.  Those two songs absolutely lit up First Avenue with thirty-somethings (again, myself included) who probably hadn't cut loose to the joy of loud, fuzzy guitars in a little too long.

Now, when playing an album front-to-back in order, there are pros and cons.  First, the con:  As the band rallied through the end of "Get Off" and glided into the six minute atmospheric ballad "Sleep," anybody with working knowledge of the album knew that this was definitely bathroom & beer run time.  And that's just what most of us did.  On record, a song like "Sleep" makes a lot of sense in this spot, a bit of a palate cleanser after that three song run.  In concert... not so much.

However, as I mentioned, the upside of playing the album in order is not to be overlooked.  Once "Sleep" ended the band took to "Cool Scene" with admirable vigor.  What made "Cool Scene" work was the fact that it provided a nice way for everybody to work their now-empty-bladders and fresh beers back into the groove for what was going to be the first payoff for the evening, the raucous, timeless single "Bohemian Like You."  Because they were playing the songs in order, the anticipation for "Bohemian Like You" began almost as soon as "Cool Scene" ended.  The band smartly waited just long enough for everybody to realize what's coming next before DeBoer kicks in with the drums.  With everybody dancing and singing along, especially with those brilliant "Wooh!" bits that punctuate each chorus, this rendition of "Bohemian Like You" stood as one of those rare occasions in life where the act matches the anticipation.  In those four minutes both MinneSarah & I had completely forgotten about that "worst show ever" from thirteen years ago.  Redemption was theirs.

(Sorry, this was the best shot I could get)

The band dutifully worked through the last third of the album as those of us in the crowd dutifully nodded along with post-coital energy.  Admittedly, once "Bohemian Like You" was through, it was time to bide energy, buy more drinks, and hold on tight for an encore that was bound to contain once of the classic Minnesota songs of my generation.

Once they'd finished off "The Gospel," the rather tedious closing track on the album, the band was ready for a run through the bullet-points of their career and we weren't disappointed.  Cleverly, the band exited the stage and left only Courtney Taylor-Taylor onstage to lead the crowd through a rendition of "Every Day Should Be A Holiday" that was less "solo" and more "karaoke."  The crowd was clearly ready for round two.

Once the rest of the band returned to the stage we were treated to "Good Morning," and "Well They're Gone," which Taylor-Taylor concluded by saying, "That's one that took me thirteen years to finish and it's about the same people from this one..." before indulging our quietly-narcissistic Midwestern psyches with an absolutely glorious rendition of "Minnesoter."  It was the second time that evening that the band & crowd seemed to peak simultaneously, with those of us in the crowd eating up this bizzaro home state anthem and the band clearly reveling in playing the song here in its namesake.

They followed with a truly unnecessary rendition of "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald," prompting MinneSarah to succinctly observe, "Well, that just happened."  There was still one last peak to reach, but when they launched into "Boys Better" it was clear that the crowd was Jason-Bateman-and-Julia-Louis-Dreyfuss-third-time spent.  The closing punch of "Boys Better" and "We Used To Be Friends" is probably brilliant along every other stop on the tour, but Minnesotans want to hear "Minnesoter."  That wasn't going to be topped.

Leaving the show, I couldn't help but feel a new affection for The Dandy Warhols.  The band has clearly found a nice medium between being "artists" and "populists."  Believe me, there is no way The Dandy Warhols circa 2000 were leading a crowd singalong through "Holiday."  It was beneath them.  They've clearly found some peace with work they've done and their designation as a cult act turned touchstone even if that stone is being touched by a small yet devoted (and increasingly affluent) fanbase.  Frankly, we came to the show offering the band a shot at redemption that was a long time coming.  We weren't disappointed.

There you have it, folks!  A night of nostalgia and redemption!  Everybody wins!

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our free weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio.

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