It’s been over a year since Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog released their latest record B-Room, and for a band that has been working either in the studio or on the road for the better part of the past decade their summer 2014 schedule looked like somewhat of a break for the indie retro-poppers. Besides a short festival run in June, that included a stop at the inaugural and disastrous Hudson Project, and what now seems like an annual appearance at Bonnaroo, there were only a handful of opportunities to catch them. With the lone North East appearance being a free show up in the lush Green Mountains of Vermont to celebrate a grand opening of a new Woodchuck Cider Brewery, I didn’t hesitate to pack my car and take the four hour jaunt up to Middlebury, Vermont to see them.
Saying the trip was worth it would be an understatement. First of all, I love an excuse to get up to Vermont, and having a free Dr. Dog show on top of it made me giddy on the ride up. The festival was put on out of the receiving area of the brand spanking new brewery. Jamie Lee Thurston and the Dirty Heads opened up the one day mini festival presumably to satisfy more of the local crowd attending. However, there were plenty of license plates representing those from all over New England, proving people will come from all over to see Dr. Dog.
After seeing these guys a handful of times I can tell you that there’s generally two types of live show Dr. Dog puts on. The first is a well-oiled machine, usually following a record release where the band steamrolls through a set often playing the beats double timed and with a punky flair. The other is a laid back Dr. Dog where they sit back and let the show come to them. I think a lot of it has to do with sound systems and how well they can hear each other, but who knows? Either way, in Vermont we got the latter and it was evident right away that this was going to be a very chill Vermont style Dr. Dog.
They opened with a climbing “Shadow People” that poured right into “That Old Black Hole.” Then they broke into a couple of deep cuts which you rarely see Dr. Dog do since taking on new drummer Eric Slick. “Ain’t it Strange” from the Takers Or Leavers EP and Alaska from 2005’s We All Belong were a doo-wop delight. It’s one of my only bones to pick with Dr. Dog that they don’t break out this material more often. Besides some sprinkled Easy Beat material you rarely hear anything pre-Fate from the sextet. I think the hope that maybe someday we’ll get to hear some of this classic stuff is a part of what keeps people like me coming back for more.
This night the highlight was without a doubt the nearly ten minute long, completely spaced out “Heavy Light”, which to the request of front-man Scott McMicken had the lights shut off to observe and jam to the setting sun over the rolling mountains. It was a pristine moment for the band and the audience altogether. First of all, it resembled a Phish jam that Vermonters know so well. Secondly, it was such a treat to see Dr. Dog sit back in the pocket of a groove and just let it take them to no man’s land. It was then cut off by the patented harmonies that explode back into the chorus with the crowd of nearly a thousand revelers all bouncing along.
Even though this was a peak they didn’t let up. “Broken Heart” and “The Truth” gave some B-Room love and a very funky “How Long Must I Wait” followed. “Nellie” and “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” ended the set with some folky sing-alongs.
Then for an encore came a very sweet “Rabbit the Bat and the Reindeer” which was crisp and tight. It’s interesting to see their stage presence on a rocker like this almost resembles the way Rage Against the Machine used to stomp around on stage. This was followed up by their signature cover of Architecture in Helsinki’s “Heart It Races,” which at this point is a little overdone but always fun. The band prompted a fireworks display that wasn’t quite on cue and because of this came back out after a few minutes to play a second encore with “My Friend,” the cacophonic closer of 2007’s Fate. Then, on point this time a massive display of fireworks capped off the celebration.
All in all, seeing Dr. Dog on a tour behind a record is a completely different experience than seeing them play a set with no boundaries or expectations like this one. In a way, they could do what they do live with the same approach as what they’ve already done in the studio, and that’s to break boundaries and constantly push the limits of their creativity and sound. At this point in their career, with over six critically acclaimed records under their belt you can’t help but wonder what they would be like if they became just a touring band and never played the same set twice. I’m not sure they would ever turn into a band like that, but they certainly could if they wanted to.
