Dr. Dog at First Avenue

Dr. Dog heats up First Avenue

Dr. Dog is really, really, really good. For the first of their two-night stint at First Avenue, the indie-rockers from West Grove, Pennsylvania tore through an outstanding set, hitting mainly on their 2013 release B-Room with plenty of old gems sprinkled in. On a blustery night in Minneapolis, there were a lot of Dr. Dog beanies in the room. And the band knew well where they were, poking fun at the cold with a “Sup Polar Vortex?” sign stage left. With a unique rock sound oftentimes colored with folk, the band didn’t take long to set fire to the mainroom that was near capacity.

A big highlight was “Lonesome” from their 2012 release Be the Void which was played towards the end of their hour and a half set. It was slow and tight, and bassist Toby Leaman nailed the vocals with a howling drawl. Songs from their new (and in my opinion best) album B-Room, also sounded terrific. “The Truth”, and more upbeat “Distant Light” both were played early on and were brilliant. B-Room offers a new sound for the band when comparing it to their previous works, but live, all of their songs meld together wonderfully. A good chunk of the mostly twenty-something crowd at First Avenue were obviously not strangers to this. All night long the crowd danced and sang along.

I last saw Dr. Dog in 2006 when they opened for The Black Keys at First Avenue. This was early on in their career, and their sound was far less refined. They have come a long way since then. Their live show is incredibly energetic with a tight sound that comes with that experience. Did I mention that they are really good? You should probably find out for yourself. Bring on night two.

Photos taken for Reviler. Check it out!

Dr. Dog

Carroll