Dr. Dog brought soulful rock to Liberty Hall last night, and the clouds of smoke followed

Yesterday’s weather brought a taste of spring out in Lawrence. The Free State patio was full for cheap beer night. Shorts and flip flops made some of their first appearances of 2014. And that warmth found its way into Liberty Hall for Dr. Dog’s show. 

The band knows how to say hello to a hometown crowd – it tours with a standing marquee, which lit up when the group broke into its first song to say, ‘Welcome to LFK, Rock Chalk Jayhawk.’ The crowd was delighted by the shout-out and raised their arms to praise the band and to dance. And then the clouds of weed smoke began to rise. Prior to the show, I’d seen a fairly large group on the floor passing around a vaporizer (curiously straddling the line between blatant consumption and inconspicuousness), but once the show began, vaporizers or any attempt at covert operations were abandoned for more traditional methods of consumption by a sizable amount of the audience. While there is a fair amount of this going on at just about any larger show, it is worth mentioning here because this was likely the headiest, skunkiest-smelling indoor show I have ever been to. Nice work, Lawrence. You’ve still got it.

Grayish-area illegal substances aside, Dr. Dog is one of the most reliably good touring bands making the regular rounds, consistently delivering high-energy, quality performances, with last night’s show being no exception. The group first appeared in the area for a muddy Wakarusa appearance, and has returned several times to KC and Lawrence. And while Dr. Dog hasn’t really expanded much on its soul-tinted Beatles/Zombies/Beach Boys-influenced style, there’s something to be said for a band that has found its thing, and does that yeoman’s work expertly. 

The band is strongest when it wears its more sludgy, soulful influences on its sleeve, as in its performance of “The Beach,” which was greatly slowed down from the album version. This was to great effect – Toby Leaman’s scratchy wails were guttural and great. Also notable was the guitar work of Frank McElroy, particularly on “Long Way Up,” and the performance of “Broken Heart,” which came early in the band’s set. In just more than 90 minutes, the band knocked out material from nearly all of its (many) releases, and got an enthusiastic, chanting callback to the stage for its encore.

Singer-guitarist Scott McMicken just looked out into the crowd, saying only, “Lawrence fucking Kansas.”

Side note: We may have discovered the one thing perhaps even more irritating than the fan who watches an entire show through his phone. That would be the fan in the Phillies hat, desperate to get the band’s attention to validate said hat (Dr. Dog is from Philadelphia). The band ignored the front-row hat waver/hat pointer all night. This may explain why half of Dr. Dog always wears sunglasses. 

Set list: approximate, so please leave changes/additions in the comments below.

These Days
Love
Broken Heart
Ain’t It Strange
The Beach
Shadow People
Worst Trip
Heavy Light
Too Weak to Ramble
The Truth
That Old Black Hole
Cuckoo
Long Way Up
Jackie Wants a Black Eye
Heart It Races
The Rabbit, the Bat, and the Reindeer
Lonesome

Encore:
How Long Must I Wait
Nellie
Oh No