Review: Dawes - Royale Boston 10.28.11

Words // Scott Pingeton

As I fought rush hour traffic to get downtown for Dawes' co-headline matinee gig at Royale last Friday, I found myself thinking back to previous Dawes shows.  In three years, give or take, the band has been through Boston at least eight times, if you count two appearances at Newport Folk.  So in three years this band from Southern California has crisscrossed the country enough times to hit Boston 8 times...and only twice were they the headliners.  6 trips through town playing to half-full venues, making opening band pay.  And they play the shit out of every song.  Every night.  That, my friends, is what you'd call doing things the old fashioned way.  And that's how Dawes has built their fan base.  Chevy commercials and VH1 didn't fill Roayle at 6:30 on Friday night.  Dawes' sweat equity did.

So what has changed between opening for Delta Spirit at the Middle East in 2009 and now?  For better or worse, not a whole lot.  Dawes took the stage second, sandwiched between "headliner" Blitzen Trapper and an opening set from Belle Brigade that I can't imagine anyone who is employed had the pleasure of seeing.  Taylor Goldsmith & co. took the stage with humble, workman-like purpose; short, scribbled setlist in hand.  The band worked their way through an efficient, hour-ish long set that drew from both North Hills and 2011 sophomore LP Nothing Is Wrong. 

A sure sign of tireless touring, the band is not only in perfectly in-sync, but they know how to craft a setlist.  A short opening slot from a should-be headliner often comes off as a thrown-together collection of "the hits", without much thought given to pacing.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the band's set was how well it flowed.  Towards the middle of the set, the slow-burn jam "Peace In The Valley" gave way to a note-perfect cover of Paul Simon's bouncy "Kodachrome".  "A Little Bit Of Everything" ramped up the intensity again, exploding with the beer-in-air singalong "When My Time Comes".  Before the euphoria wore off the band launched into Nothing Is Wrong's lead-single "Time Spent In Los Angeles", leaving the crowd scrambling for the merch table between sets.

There's really not much to say that I haven't already said about Dawes - but it's nice to see one of the hardest working band's on the road today "make it".  I've been at 8 of the band's now 9 area shows of the post-Simon Dawes era and each time it seems like more people have been let in on the secret.  There's no secret anymore.

I didn't tape the Royale show this time (sorry!).  But here's the band's set opening for Middle Brother at the Paradise back in March for your listening pleasure.  The set features a few songs with the great Jonny Corndawg and a cameo from Deer Tick's John McCauley.  Enjoy!

Dawes
Paradise Rock Club - Boston MA
March 3, 2011

Bedside Manner
How Far We've Come
My Girl To Me
That Western Skyline
If I Wanted Someone
Out In The Woods (Leon Russell cover)
Peace In The Valley
Keep Your Body Happy Through Exercise (w/ Jonny Corndawg)
Shaved Like A Razor (w/ Jonny Corndawg)
When A Ford Man Turns To Chevy (w/ Jonny Corndawg)
Trashday (w/ Jonny Corndawg)
Goodbye (w/ Jonny Corndawg)
Fire Away
When My Time Comes (w/ John McCauley)

Full set download:  mp3 zip

If anyone remembers this post, you win a prize.  That review + live recording of Dawes at Great Scott in February 2010 was the very first post on Visible Voice.  Ah, memories.

Comments

[Mary]

I'm one of those who just discovered Dawes this year, and I've very much enjoyed getting to know their music. I don't get to as many shows these days (babysitters are expensive and weeknight shows are pretty much impossible now), but I still love living vicariously through others. Thanks for sharing your concert-going experiences with us. It's especially fun living in Boston.

And although attending concerts is rare, it's not never. I am going to see The Wooden Sky next week.