Alabama Shakes Play Zeppelin on a Boat on Valentine's Day

With all the news of the poop-filled drama aboard the Carnival Triumph, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to go on a cruise right now.  That is, unless you were one of the 125 fans lucky enough to win the chance to buy two tickets to see Alabama Shakes kick off the 13th annual Rocks Off Concert Cruise Season on the Destiny.  Fortunately for me, two of my friends won the lottery, so I didn't have to spend another Valentine's Day alone, weeping at home.

I had no idea there was going to be an opener, so it was a complete surprise when Brooklyn's Daddy Long Legs took the stage.  A three-piece blues outfit, they looked like they'd just stepped out of a photograph of a mid-'60s British rock band.  They got the crowd pumped up over the course of their rowdy ten-song set, spearheaded by some fantastic mouth harp-playing from the lanky singer only identified as Daddy Long Legs.  While his Shure Green Bullet may be the best mic for amplified harmonica, when it comes to vocals, it has about the fidelity of a school bus driver's loudspeaker, making it very difficult to discern the lyrics.  I almost bought the LP, but I'm waiting to hear samples before I commit to buying a record that I'll never know the words to.

A half-hour later, Alabama Shakes entered to the theme from Gilligan's Island over the PA.  "Thank you for coming to our boat party," greeted Brittany Howard, strapping on her guitar to start things off with "Hang Loose."  Having blown up even more since last I saw the band at Virgin Festival, the whole crowd sang along to "Hold On."  "Welcome to the Love Boat," said Brittany, handing out vulgar valentines like the two pictured here.

Due to the lack of a proper stage and minimal overhead lighting, the vibe on the boat was like a living room... if your living room was always floating down the Hudson River and full of people you don't know.  And with really great sound.  This was the second Rocks Off cruise I've been on, and I'm kind of amazed by the care the crew takes in making it sound better than many venues I've been to on land.  The intimacy of it was insane.  I'd always been able to see Brittany practically dislocate her jaw the way she opens her mouth when she sings, but now ten feet away, I could look down her throat!  In the past, I had expressed my frustration with Zac Cockrell's stage presence, but last night, he was my favorite one to watch.  Sporting overalls, a bushy beard, and a ballcap, he came out chewing a toothpick, looking more like a farmer than a guy in a Grammy-nominated rock band.  I think he was probably stoned or had really bad indigestion, as he played, the expressions on his face contorting along the gamut from pained teeth-clenching to cross-eyed ecstasy.  Keep making me eat my words from last June, Alabama Shakes.

The boat really started rocking during "Always Alright," and the band were determined to rock even harder, fogging up the windows.  "Who woulda thought we'd get some boat windows steamy here tonight?" laughed Howard.  Following that was "Rise to the Sun," which featured a new spaghetti Western-style intro that was likely a tease of a song I couldn't place, so any insight is appreciated (Comment below.).  "I'm sorry I have to sing this to you on Valentine's Day," apologized Brittany ahead of "Heartbreaker."  She introduced the next song as a story about a friend she grew up with, who had told her they were getting too old to be friends.  "And I thought that was some bullshit," she proclaimed, easing into "Boys & Girls."  It was a little ridiculous how many people began talking during the slow number.  Don't you know where you are?  You're on a fucking boat with the fucking Alabama Shakes!  Some fans had enough of the chatter, and resorted to shushing and one yell of "Shut up!"  While I obviously always side with the quiet ones, yelling "Shut up!" in the middle of a song is even more disruptive.

Brittany put down her six-string and won everyone back with what I've come to see as their signature live song, "Be Mine."  All the more poignant on Valentine's Day, Brittany erupted in the last chorus, grabbing a few guys in the front row to dance with.  "Y'all warmed up?  I wanna rock and roll with this boat," she said.  Encouraging the crowd to sing along to the opening guitar lick to "Mama," she urged, "Come on now. You won tickets to here. Don't be shy."  I thought the performance was awesome, but Brittany wasn't feeling it from the room.  "Y'all didn't seem to like that one.  I'm not offended," she admitted, and offered up "Makin' Me Itch."  Some people started talking again (I feel bad for respectful fans that didn't win tickets.) during the slow build of "You Ain't Alone," but this time Brittany took action, inserting a "Listen to me now!" into the lyrics.  "I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time tonight," shared Brittany before plunging into "Heavy Chevy," which sounded even better at a less frantic pace.  "This has been the best Valentine's Day of my life," she revealed, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual among some of the passengers.  "Heat Lightning," with its built-in thank yous, closed the show, Brittany getting right up in the faces of the front rowers, throwing the mic on the deck at the song's conclusion.

The chants for one more song began almost immediately.  Brittany looked to guitarist Heath Fogg (I wonder if he's related to Kirk Fogg from Legends of the Hidden Temple?) with a face that said, "We have to," and the band made their way back to their positions. "I wanna hear it for Daddy Long Legs!"  Cheer.  "I wanna hear it for Valentine's Day!"  Cheer.  "I wanna hear it for New York!"  Cheer.  "I'm on a boat!"  Guffaw.

And then it happened.  They covered Led Zeppelin's epic "How Many More Times," with Brittany modifying the lyrics to fit her gender.  More than nine minutes later, the show was actually over, the band making their way to the ship's head.  Bruce Springsteen's "Adam Raised a Cain" was listed on the setlist before "Heat Lightning," but I'll take Zeppelin over the Boss any day.  Especially Valentine's Day.

ALABAMA SHAKES - 02.14.13 - ROCKS OFF BOAT CRUISE (1 hour, 11 minutes)

SET -
Hang Loose / Hold On / I Found You / Always Alright / Rise to the Sun / Heartbreaker / Boys & Girls / Be Mine / Mama / Makin' Me Itch / You Ain't Alone / Heavy Chevy / Heat Lightning

ENCORE -
How Many More Times

Deer Tick Play Their Own 12.12.12 Concert with Special Guest Vanessa Carlton

Last night in New York City, several musicians and special guests got together and performed a concert for an adoring flock of fans. No, I'm not talking about 12.12.12 at MSG. Deer Tick continued their three-week residency at Brooklyn Bowl by playing The Black Dirt Sessions and Holy Shit, It's Christmas! EP in full.

That's not to say the Sandy relief show didn't permeate the Williamsburg bowling alley. When I arrived a half-hour before showtime, every screen in the building was tuned to the benefit concert. I sipped my Brooklyn Blast as Adam Sandler and Paul Shaffer performed a hilariously modified version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Around 9:00, the broadcast was replaced with live footage of Ian O'Neil, Deer Tick's guitarist, performing "She's Not Spanish." It was a noticeably smaller crowd from last week when he did his whole set alone, but this time, after his first song, he was joined by a group consisting of musicians from other bands, including O'Neil's previous one, Titus Andronicus. "This is my second week opening for my band. You have to imagine that's kind of strange, right?" he asked. Strange perhaps, but absolutely welcome. O'Neil and company performed some new tunes, an inspired version of Michael Hurley's "Be Kind to Me," and Deer Tick's "Hope is Big." Ian finished his set how he began it on the 5th, with a solo "Passing Through/Now It's Your Turn" medley. "Thank you. Good night. See you in an hour," he said, departing the stage. To settle the dispute between drunks in the restroom, he did play longer this week.

 

Viking Moses, the pseudonym of the perpetually touring (since 1993!) Brendon Massei, came next. The folky 9-song set included some older tunes, some newer ones, a joke about a condiment-drenched burger, and a cover of Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die." I'm not sure why people love her so much (I saw Penguin Prison cover "Blue Jeans" at Brooklyn Bowl earlier this year.), but might I suggest Lissie instead? I liked Massei's guitar-playing style, hitting the bottom E string with his thumb like a funk bassist, but his spoken-word singing wasn't my cup of tea. John McCauley came out for the last two numbers, making the stage look like a casting call for a Kurt Cobain biopic. Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent also joined in on the final song.

Steve Buscemi told the tale of Rockaway's Graybeards and had quite the time trying to settle them down enough to introduce the Who. When he finally managed to get it out, the screens went dark, with Deer Tick and the Who taking their stages at the exact same time. The five-piece band found their places, along with a fiddler, and Liz Isenberg and Vanessa Carlton on backup vocals. McCauley announced, "Ladies and gentlemen... The Black Dirt Sessions," and they delved into "Choir of Angels." Before heading into "Twenty Miles" (I wonder what a mashup with "A Thousand Miles" would've sounded like.), John had some technical difficulties, and remarked, "When you listen to the album, you miss out on the fun stuff like me cursing out my guitar in between songs. This is a really personal experience you're having with the album right now." Things got even more personal once he took a seat at the keys for a solo "Goodbye, Dear Friend." "Mange" unraveled nicely, and after "Hand in My Hand," McCauley admitted, "That's the first time we have ever played that song live," his beer mustache fresh from tipping back a pitcher. Another solo on keys, "Christ Jesus" ended the album in about 51 minutes.

The Black Dirt Sessions is in my opinion, Deer Tick's most cohesive album. The songs are mostly introspective, somber affairs on mortality. It's hard to believe they were recorded during the same same sessions as Born on Flag Day. While I still feel Deer Tick are best not on an album-themed leash, the record's common theme lent itself naturally to the live setting. Even though it took ten minutes longer to play than BOFD, it breezed by. Its coda, the Holy Shit, It's Christmas! EP, is pretty much its antithesis. Surprisingly, the pairing worked, with the two irreverant holiday songs providing some relief after the heavy album. For the title track, McCauley donned a Santa sweater, and O'Neil reinvented himself as the song's narrator in a wig, robe, and coathanger glasses, extinguishing a stogie in his glass of whiskey before drinking it and spitting it to the floor. It's pretty much unbearable on record, but it was entertaining with the visuals.

The encore break was maybe ten seconds long. Unable to sing last week due to illness, Liz Isenberg shared vocals with McCauley on "Friday XIII." Isenberg mingled with McC on John Prine's "Unwed Fathers" on the Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows tribute album, but she was subbed out for Carlton to even the score. "Dirty Dishes" followed, which is one of my favorite live Tick songs, where all the band members sang in five-part harmony. "Cheap Sunglasses," which is from a 7" split, closed the encore with a bang, and hinted that Deer Tick might play their ENTIRE discography over the three evenings, unlike Band of Horses' all-album-tracks show.

The band retreated up the stairs and lights began to come on, but it seemed premature. A minute and a half of applause later, they returned for three more War Elephant tunes, including fan favorite "Baltimore Blues No. 1." The ultimate surprise, however, was the closing medley of "Sleep Walk" and "La Bamba," performed in its original Spanish. Also previously released as a 7", it bodes well for fans, like myself, with the three-night pass. Every Deer Tick song ever!

IAN O'NEIL - 12.12.12 - BROOKLYN BOWL (24 minutes, 10 seconds)

SET -

She's Not Spanish / Is This It?* / I Will Forget* / Hope is Big / Be Kind to Me / Passing Through > Now It's Your Turn

 

VIKING MOSES - 12.12.12 - BROOKLYN BOWL (33 minutes, 41 seconds)

SET -

Surrounding Skin / On the Way Home / Born to Die / Sole Command of the Day / Fingernail Moon > Jones Boys / Sunday Pornography / Rough Rider / Pretty Little Eyes

DEER TICK - 12.12.12 - BROOKLYN BOWL (1 hour, 33 minutes)

SET -
Choir of Angels / Twenty Miles / Goodbye, Dear Friend / Piece by Piece & Frame by Frame / The Sad Sun / Mange / When She Comes Home / Hand in My Hand / I Will Not Be Myself / Blood Moon / Christ Jesus / Christmas All Summer Long / Holy Shit, It's Christmas!

ENCORE I -
Friday XIII / Unwed Fathers / Dirty Dishes / Cheap Sunglasses

ENCORE II -
Baltimore Blues No. 1 / Nevada / Sink or Swim > Sleep Walk > La Bamba