The nights festivities began with opening act The Futurebirds. I was not familiar with them but DBT are known for providing quality opening bands and The Futurebirds were no exception. I will admit that when they hit the stage I had my doubts as they looked like a mixture of a young Geddy Lee to Zach Galifianakis to Jerry Mathers as the Beav. It turns out that this is a recipe for some awesome music. The Futurebirds used four, maybe five lead vocalists during the set and they all worked. I loved their vocal sound and it was accompanied by the band's incredible energy. They also rotated instruments which is not something you often see but it showcased the level of talent in this band. Unfortunately I did not know the names of any of their songs but I will say this, if the Futurebirds come to your town, put them on your calendar and go. I look forward to seeing them again.
If you have ever been to a DBT show you know a couple of things. 1. You are not going to get Clapton guitar playing but you are going to get some fun, gritty, sometimes sloppy, rock n roll that you can't get enough of, and 2. Don't even try to predict the setlist. The band doesn't have one when they come to the stage so there is no use trying to guess what songs you are going to hear. I wish more bands did that. As a fan, I do enjoy having no idea what song is coming next.
DBT do things their own way and last night was no different. When they hit the stage I was expecting Patterson to kick off with a well known rocker to get the crowd going but no, that was not the case. He chose Ray's Automatic Weapon, which is an unreleased track (soon to be released on Go Go Boots). If that song didn't get the crowd ready for a rock show, all it took was the opening notes of the second song and it was on. Cooley kicked it into high gear with Marry Me and got the crowd whipped into a frenzy and the band just capitalized on that. They followed that with Ronnie and Neil (which smoked), Gravity's Gone (finally got to hear that live), and Play It All Night Long. Things slowed down a bit after this as we were introduced to a couple of new tracks from Cooley and Shonna with Patterson mixing in fan favorite Bulldozers and Dirt. Of all the new songs played, the highlight for me was Buckets of Mercy. I think this song may well be the best Patterson has written, and that is saying a lot.
Overall it was a great show and DBT were in top form. While it is obvious that DBT is Patteron and Cooley's band, I think they would be the first to tell you that Brad, Shonna, John and Jay are the backbone that keep the machine running. The whole band poured out a great night of energy and effort to entertain us and by the end of the first set I was exhausted. I was thinking at this point we would get a three, maybe four song encore, and I could take my weary body home but that was not the case. They played a freaking six song encore and judging by the crowd response it was not enough. By the time the last note ended my 41 year old body was hurting. It isn't easy for me to stand six hours but for DBT it was worth it and I will gladly do it again. Thanks guys for a killer show. I do think it is time for you to take it to a larger venue. I would love to see you at the Ryman again.
Setlist
1. Ray's Automatic Weapon
2. Marry Me
3. Ronnie and Neil
4. Gravity's Gone
5. Play It All Night Long
6. Cartoon Gold
7. Bulldozers and Dirt
8. Dancing Ricky
9. Carl Perkins' Cadillac
10. Mercy Buckets
11. 3 Dimes Down
12. Life In The Factory
13. Birthday Boy
14. Go-Go Boots
15. Get Downtown
16. (It's Gonna Be) I Told You So
17. Drag The Lake Charlie
18. Where The Devil Don't Stay
19. Lookout Mountain
20. Used To Be A Cop
21. Zip City
22. Let There Be Rock
23. Shut Up and Get On The Plane
24. Hell No, I Ain't Happy
25. Buttholeville
