The Dave Davies Band ~ 2000 August 11 (Friday) ~ The Beach Club ~ Salisbury, MA
Band Personnel: Dave Davies, lead vocals, lead guitar; Jim Laspesa, drums and backing vocals; David Jenkins, bass and backing vocals; Kristian Hoffman, keyboards; Jonathan Lea, guitar, harmonica
Set List
Till the End of the Day - I Need You - Susannah's Still Alive - Creeping Jean - Gallon of Gas Intro/You're Looking Fine - Tired of Waiting - See My Friends - Wicked Annabella - Unfinished Business - True Phenomenon - Picture Book - This Man He Weeps Tonight - Death of a Clown - Fortis Green - Living on a Thin Line - All Day & All Of The Night - I'm Not Like Everybody Else - Father Christmas - You Really Got Me
Concert Review
In a location described by Kristian Hoffman as "carney" (as in carnival), the Traveling RDFs arrived around 1:00 and, after having a pretty nice lunch in a neighborhood restaurant, we spent a while enjoying what Salisbury Beach, a tacky beach resort in the northeast corner of Massachusetts, has to offer. Fritz and I rode the ferris wheel; Olga, Fritz, and I had a true Fortis Green Moment when Olga treated us to ice cream and we all broke out into song: "walking by the sea, full of dreams, eating ice cream." We waded in the Atlantic Ocean. The Beach Club is poised right on the Atlantic Ocean's edge -- watch out for the next big hurricane or nor'easter. Eventually our group wandered into the Beach Club and staked out tables in front of the stage.
Now, it was nice of the Beach Club to let us take those seats and keep them, even during a somewhat abbreviated sound check, but did we have to go and order their "food"? It was the worst food of the tour, no question. To pass the time, Olga taught our table of five to play a silly word game called Consequence which was great fun, and she also braided my hair -- thanks Olga, I really liked it!
Finally the show started. The first band immediately made me reach for my heavy duty earplugs, the kind that are rated for 29 decibels (I always carry heavy duty and light duty earplugs to Dave shows and usually only use the light duty ones that are rated for 24 decibels). But this opening band, called Awake, were so brutally loud -- and horrible -- that I would have rushed to a soundproof booth if there had been one available. At my table, both Olga and David had their eyes closed, looking as if they were asleep -- they had apparently been stunned into unconsciousness by the sheer volume and supreme awfulness of this band.
Get the picture? They were the Worst Band I've Ever Seen. Ever, in my entire life. And I've been going to hear bands for, well, longer than you've been alive, sonny.
The second opener wasn't much better. They were called Thrust. (Where do these awful bands get these names?) The main difference for me is that I went out on the deck of the Beach Club for most of their set so I didn't suffer quite as much. I spent most of their set talking to David's brothers Tim and Jeff who had just arrived for the show.
The third opener -- yes, the Beach Club made us suffer through three opening bands -- weren't as bad musically -- in fact, they were pretty good -- but the bass was miked so loud that it was physically uncomfortable. They were called Last Laugh and are apparently a fairly well known band in the area, but it was getting to be close to 11:15 and if they didn't leave the stage soon, Dave wouldn't have time to play his whole show, so Kate (Dave's companion / handler) motioned to the lead singer to get off the stage. To which the lead singer responded, "Who are you? The stage police?" We couldn't hear Kate's reply but I imagine the answer was "Yes I am! Now get off the bleedin' stage!" (Way to go Kate!!!)
Anyway, after the assault of these three opening bands, not to mention the horrible "food," I was in a really foul mood by this time. I've never been in a bad mood to start a Dave show! Dave's people rushed onto the stage and had everything set up in a matter of minutes, and as soon as Dave played the opening notes of "Till the End of the Day," my bad mood took a leap into the ocean. Due to the late starting time, Dave seemed a little rushed. He did leave out a couple of the songs he'd been playing at every other show ("Mindless Child" for instance) and for the first half dozen songs or so there was very little banter with the audience. However, eventually he loosened up and the last half of the show was up to his usual standards of excellence. He ended this show with YRGM, which is a song he frequently omits but is always nice to hear.
In defense of the Beach Club, the sound during Dave's set was excellent. I was afraid after the awful sound of the first three bands that Dave would also be too loud, but the sound was just right for him.
It was an eventful day, memorable not just for another great show but for all the other fun we had before and after. I drove Olga back to Jill's house and as I was driving back to my abode on the banks of the Cape Cod Canal, I saw four meteors fall from the sky -- it was the night of the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower.
Editor's note: in the years since I wrote this review in 2000, the Beach Club has been sold, renovated, and has re-opened as a much nicer venue, Ocean Blue.
More Dave
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