On Friday March 18th, Philadelphia’s own Dr. Dog triumphantly returned to the Terminal 5 stage to kick off the first night of a sold out 2 night run. Dr. Dog were touring in support of their fantastic album The Psychadelic Swamp that came out earlier this year in February, via Anti Records. Along for the ride and opening things up was fellow Philly rockers The Districts.
It’s hard to believe this was Dr. Dog’s first time back at the venue since their show way back in January of 2014, but thankfully it didn’t mark their first time back in New York City since then. Early in 2015 the band did a “4×4” which included a sold out 4 night run at The Bowery Ballroom as well as a sold out 4 night run at The Music Hall of Williamsburg for a whopping 8 night run. We were there for one of the Music Hall of Williamsburg shows and didn’t think anything could top that… until later in July of 2015 when they opened for Distpatch at the moderately bigger Madison Square Garden which was very impressive. So, to say the anticipation wasn’t high for this show would be a complete lie.
First up and opening the night was The Districts. This was my third time catching The Districts (oddly enough every time I’ve seen them has been opening for Dr. Dog) and every time I see them they get better and better. Whats more impressive is that the crowd was singing along passionately with every word that frontman Rob Grote sang which was absolutely amazing to see. Their fan base lines up so perfectly with the Dr. Dog fan base that it makes sense they keep opening for them. As soon as The Districts finished their blistering opening set, the anticipation and excitement for Dr. Dog grew heavier and heavier with every passing minute.
Before anyone took the stage, the lights went dark and then Eric Slick’s drum kit lit up along side Dimitri Mano’s and Zach Miller’s instrument blocks which had this crazy retro feel to the whole setup (which lined up perfectly with the album art off The Psychedelic Swamp). Eventually one by one each member of Dr. Dog moseyed on stage building up some sound while an 8bit melody “Badvertise” played that seamlessly segued into “Holes in My Head” and “Fire on My Back” – a solid 1,2,3 punch of tracks that really kicked the night off nicely.
This was also my 8th time seeing the band and by far the best I’ve ever heard them – the energy level was unmatched and it was also the longest set I’ve ever seen them play as well. During certain songs they extended some solos out and made them a little more jammy (which was great), but also allowed for each member to shine on their own. A good example was during “Be The Void,” a track off 2012’s Wild Race EP, where Slick had a stellar extended drum solo that helped elevate the song to a completely different level. This followed in other songs such as “Engineer Says,” as well as the aways amazing closing track “Shame, Shame” off 2010’s full length Shame, Shame.
Dr. Dog continue to be one of the hardest working bands on the road right now, and easily one of the best bands you can go see so I say this without hesitation – the next time they roll through your city, I wouldn’t walk – I’d RUN to go see them. Trust me when I tell you that you won’t be sorry.
Dr. Dog Setlist:
1. Holes in My Back
2. Fire on My Back
3. Bring My Baby Back
4. That Old Black Hole
5. The Ark
6. Mirror, Mirror
7. Broken Heart
8. The Truth
9. Engineer Says
10. Oh No
11. Fools Life
12. Be The Void
13. Distant Light
14. The Way the Lazy Do
15. Shame, Shame
16. These Days
17. Shadow People
Encore:
18. Lonesome
19. Jackie Wants a Black Eye
20. Nellie
21. The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer
For more photos, see below:
The Districts:
Dr. Dog:
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