The Dave Davies Band ~ 2002 April 24 (Wednesday) ~ B.B. King's ~ New York, NY
Band Personnel: Dave Davies, lead vocals, lead guitar; Jim Laspesa, drums and backing vocals; David Nolte, bass and backing vocals; Kristian Hoffman, keyboards; Brian Myers, guitar tech and second guitar
Set List
Till the End of the Day - I Need You - Susannah's Still Alive - Creeping Jean - Gallon of Gas/You're Looking Fine - Tired of Waiting - See My Friends - The Lie {new, from BUG} - Bug/Debug/Life After Life {new, from BUG} - Dead End Street - Rock You, Rock Me {new, from BUG} - Picture Book - Too Much On My Mind - 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
Concert Review
Dave and the guys played at B.B. King's on 42nd St. in NYC, a venue very different from last night's nightclub in the Albany area. The tickets were twice as expensive and a $10 minimum per person was posted (although loosely enforced). It was a nightspot striving for elegance (an oxymoron, as far as I'm concerned). Since my Concert Going Partner and I didn't realize it was a sitting venue, by the time we got there the front rows were taken and we wound up in about the sixth row. The sound was good and we had a very nice view.
I didn't catch the name of the opening band (it might have been Bastards of Melody), but they were four guys playing noisy and undistinguished rock music at excessive volume. (Not exactly unique, right Olga? Every time I get an opener like this I think of the Beach Club and realize how much worse it could be.)
This was another roomy stage with a nice curtainy backdrop and jumbotrons on each side of the stage -- not necessary but fun to look at. The lighting was good too, and added some nice effects to the show, such as round spotlights that circled the stage during the atmospheric "Living on a Thin Line" intro. Unlike the previous night, it was a sellout, although I'd say it was about 50/50 Dave fans and regulars of the club.
The band's performance was greatly improved over the previous night. David Nolte no longer looked like he was functioning on thirty minutes' sleep. Everybody seemed upbeat on stage. Dave very excitedly plugged his new album Bug and Koch Records for making it possible (record company execs were in attendance, I think).
When the band took the stage, Dave blasted right into the first notes of "Till the End of the Day" without any introduction, and played five songs before he spoke to the audience. His first words to the audience were that he was looking for a woman, during "You're Looking Fine." The banter is a bit suggestive during this song, in which Dave and Kristian do a lot of humorous eye contact, with Kristian stealing a bit of the crowd's attention with his Nicki Hopkins-like keyboard flourishes.
Dave said he was dedicating "See My Friends" to "my friends in the spirit world, including George Harrison."
Tonight they played the full version of "Bug/Debug/Life After Life" (the night before they had played only "Bug.") The "Bug/Debug/Life After Life" medley is like nothing you have ever heard before from Dave, ladies and gentlemen. The first sign that something was new was the fact that two keyboards were set up on stage, and we wondered if Kristian had devolved into a Rick Wakeman wannabe.
Dave introduced "Bug" by talking about "implants" (an unfortunate choice of a term). The song is about a device implanted into someone's brain so that aliens can manipulate their behavior, which might induce some to roll their eyes and sigh and go "oh, Dave," until you see the smile on his face while he sings it. The song is totally tongue-in-cheek and Dave means it that way. "Bug" ends and fades into "Debug." Kristian turns to the other keyboard, this weird looking white thing that makes electronic dance-mix type sounds. Kristian Hoffman in his career has played with a lot of avante garde musicians and I think he was right at home on this one. "Debug" ends with Dave singing a few phrases of "Life After Life," which on the record is a meandering exercise in noise but in the show is just the right length. I don't know how I can describe this to explain how exciting this was to listen to, but the crowd just ate it up. It isn't something you think you're going to like, but when you hear it, you love it.
The other really great addition to tonight's show was the stunning "Too Much On My Mind," in which Kristian Hoffman's keyboard playing and Jim Laspesa's lovely backing vocals were the perfect backup to Dave's beautiful singing.
The show ended well after midnight, and as Concert Going Partner and I were leaving the venue, we realized we really were in New York City, the city that never sleeps, since the lights were as bright as mid-day and the sidewalks were just as crowded as they had been in the afternoon when we arrived for the show. A bit of culture shock for us Cape Cod residents.
More Dave
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