Dawes plunder their catalogue in sprawling multi-set evening at Liberty Hall

An Evening with Dawes at Liberty Hall on April 16, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

Sunday night saw Dawes swing through Lawrence’s Liberty Hall, as we previewed in our interview with Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. The “An Evening With” format meant that Taylor and the lads took the stage at three minutes after 8 p.m. and continued to play well past 10:30, including only a minor intermission break. No opener, just Dawes.

The hall was nearly sold out, but didn’t have the usual “at capacity” Liberty vibes. Set by the band, the tone for the evening was exceptionally loose, with the main house lights never really going down. This was a communal experience, meant to be approached with the least amount of pomp and circumstance, as the band played off a crowd—one that included more multi-generational family members than most LFK rock concerts.

Dawes themselves made the most of the space and time they’d allotted themselves, and freely allowed tracks to spin or jam-out wherever. The band’s continued ability to tap dance between Grateful Dead doodling and Wilco-esque songcraft made for an evening that could simply best be summed up as “consistent quality.” No lulls, no drops, no skips. Just bangers for three hours. No notes.

An Evening with Dawes at Liberty Hall on April 16, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

Set List for An Evening with Dawes at Liberty Hall:

A Little Bit of Everything

Ghost in the Machine

My Girl to Me

Somewhere Along the Way

We’re All Gonna Die

Everything Is Permanent

Living in the Future

Picture of a Man

Comes in Waves

When My Time Comes

~Intermission~

Surprise!

Roll Tide

What It Takes

Feed the Fire

Right on Time

Most People

Still Feel Like a Kid

Time Spent in Los Angeles

Someone Else’s Cafe/Doomscroller Tries to Relax

All Your Favorite Bands

~Encore~

Things Happen

An Evening with Dawes at Liberty Hall on April 16, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur