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Dr. Dog didn’t decorate the stage of Higher Ground as they have on some stops of their current tour – but they didn’t have to. Dr. Dog’s music that night was sufficiently a world unto itself.
And it was definitely a change from Dog’s past appearances in Vermont (where they proudly displayed their influences if not exactly flaunted them), not to mention a somewhat surprising departure from the multi-textured likes of their most recent album Fate. Based on the latter yardstick, whether or not it was a progression is debatable because Dr. Dog employed a stripped down sound and rocked hard all the way through their 90 minutes.
It was loud enough at Higher Ground that the group’s vocals, including the harmonies that usually highlight their music, competed for prominence with hard electric guitars and driving bass. Dr. Dog’s music often draws comparisons to The Beatles and certainly the music this fall night could be said to derive directly from the hard rock portions of Abbey Road or Let It Be. But the raucous, almost, but not quite sloppy sound, recalled nothing so much as vintage Rolling Stones.
Consequently, it was a curious reserve this capacity audience exhibited in this small room. The crowd seemed to really want to hear what the band was playing, not just watch physical gyrations the likes of which usually seem contrived but as enacted by this Philadelphia band seem the expression of pure joy in playing their music.
Given the similarity of the arrangements of material new and old, it was testament to the passion of the band and the ingenuity of tunes like “Worst Trip” that Dr. Dog kept up the pace in a rapid-fire succession of songs during the extended single set. “Fate” was a momentary descent into quiet reflection before a double encore in which the quintet thrashed their way happily along, much like their less-sophisticated otherwise kindred spirit openers Hacienda and Delta Spirit.
Rock gods Dr Dog are not, but a live recording capturing the pure dynamism of a performance like this would no doubt consolidate (rather than alienate) their current fanbase, attract the curious and retain the dilettantes. The motley mix of these demographics this particular night remained, loyal in more ways than one, to the very end.
