Dr. Dog – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 1/20/15 (SHOW REVIEW)

Like their most recent sold-out appearance in the Ballroom at Higher Ground, Dr. Dog’s previous performances at this Vermont venue have become something of a rite of winter. Proceeding from acting as openers in a less-than packed smaller room in Vermont, these Philadelphia-based DIY rock and rollers have pushed their unorthodox methods of writing, recording and performing to the limit.

In 2008, Dr. Dog sounded primed for a live album, the dense intricacy of their studio work streamlined and compacted for maximum accessibility. In 2015, with Live at a Flamingo Hotel just out, their concerts like this one on January 20th, are still full of quirks, becoming less so as they progress, seemingly only as an affectionate nod to audiences that, like this one, remain animated and engaged throughout. Their devoted fans were ready and waiting for the proverbial payoff at the end of this frigid Tuesday night show.

And they got it, at some ninety minutes plus by the time the house lights went up, though not without some clamor that brought an extended encore. In reality, if not for “Black Hole,” “These Days” and “Shadow People,” the band’s single set might well have seemed less than satisfactory, despite a level of spontaneity that had them seguing almost indiscernibly from tune to tune. Given how potent the band remains when they eschew electric guitars for acoustics, perhaps an unplugged segment at mid-set or in opening would serve to elevate the dynamics of their performances.

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Once exhibiting more than a little influence of the Beach Boys and The Band, Dr. Dog still recall that latter iconic band in the occasional switch of instruments which, this night, found guitarist Frank McElroy playing keyboards on one number, his counterpart Scott McMicken on drums–in place of Eric Slick who drives the band like none of his predecessors–and keyboardist Zach Miller assuming the role of slide guitarist. Clearly these change-ups keep the group on their toes on stage and challenge them to maintain something of the detail of their records at the same time.

Dr. Dog may never transcend what they’ve have absorbed, seemingly by osmosis, from the Beatles, but they don’t have to. From “Long Way Down, to “Take me into Town,” “The Girl,” “100 Years,” light hearted melodies ala McCartney bump up against the grinding dissonance of guitar-heavy Lennonisms in a natural flow that Dr. Dog couldn’t replicate  night after night to the point of predictability.  The sextet’s unconscious processing of their influences and roots still allows them to retain a youthful effervescence even as they mature, all right in line with the loyal response they elicit from the capacity crowd at Higher Ground.

And that goes for “Lonesome” which would not be so effective merely posited as a drinking-song sing-along if it hadn’t been preceded just shortly before by the poignant acoustic strains of “Jackie Wants A Black Eye.” The unforgiving self-awareness Dr. Dog displays on that latter tune highlighted by its positioning near the home stretch in the setlist reaffirms a staunchly individualist persona remaining at the core of their charm, even as they once more beckon to the mainstream.

SETLIST
Be the Void
Hang On
Old Days
Broken Heart
Mystery to Me
To Weak to Ramble
Heavy Light
The Beach
Long Way Down
Take me into Town
The Girl
100 Years
Turning the Century
Distant Light
Jackie wants a Black Eye
Heart it Races
Encore
Black Hole
These Days
Shadow People
Lonesome

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