And the great free shows just keep on coming…
Just two days after Steve Wynn and his ragtag “Loose Change” outfit blew everybody away at the Hexagon bar in Mpls, Brent Best and The Drams hit one out of the park at a rather unlikely setting, playing a free, early evening outdoor gig on the plaza of the Orchestra Hall, smack dab in the middle of DT Mpls. The Drams appearance was part of a series that the Orchestra Hall puts on in June called “Alive After Five” in which a couple of musical acts perform from 5-9 every single day during the month. These free shows take place in a fairly dramatic location – outside in a sunken plaza cum amphitheater, next to a huge reflecting pool and a series of cement platforms, next to the striking architecture of the Orchestra Hall and the Nicollet Mall, and surrounded by the Mpls skyline. There are beer & food vendors and plenty of good vantage points. Outdoor concerts are all too rare in MN (the Twin Cities is the largest metro area in the country without a proper “shed” venue), so we’re all suckers for a chance to brave the elements in order to get some music in the great outdoors – especially when it’s free.
Brent on the boys put on one hell of a show – two full sets with new and old Drams material, the usual choice covers and a healthy dose of selections from Slobberbone, the beloved band that The Drams evolved from. In a relatively short time since a tentative debut at SxSW a few years ago, The Drams have steadily honed their act, turning into a solid live band in the process, performing with a confident verve that is positively engaging. They kicked things off with a classic Band song and never let up; this was easily the most enjoyable of the handful of local Drams appearances over the last two years. There was even a neat bit of synchronicity during “Des Moines” when a brief sun shower occurred right about the time the lyrics referred to the skies opening up. Wow, man…
Since our neck of the woods – referred to by Brent many times as a musical “motherland” – was a key area in the Slobberbone universe, we were treated to a generous helping of ‘bone classics, including a couple of cool solo versions to start out the second set. There were two new songs – the autobiographical (?) “Man of Note,” which has been around for a few months and the newer “Anything,” which Jess later said was his fave of the new songs they’ve demo-ed so far. “Anything” is a brooding, intense tune that already smells like a classic. Some interesting lyrics, too – “Relief don’t come cheap…But if you know some better way / I’d do anything / And if you felt the way I do / You’d do anything.”
The night ended with a rousing – and surprising – reading of the Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ classic, “Straight to Hell,” a song that used to show up in ‘bone sets a decade ago but hasn’t been heard much since.
To recap: the sound was good, the playing was flawless and the setting was easily worth the price of admission. More, please.
Postscript: since the gig was over at a time when most of the rock world is just starting to get moving and nobody had to leave until the next morning, Brent invited a bunch of us over to world famous Nye’s Bar for some post-gig fun – across the river from DT in the suddenly fashionable NE Mpls neighborhood. Nye’s was, not surprisingly, jumping: Molly Maher was laying down some cool folkbluesamericana grooves in the side bar, the piano bar was kickin’ and there was some kind of wild party going on in the back room. The drinks – and polish beer, hell yeah – were flowin’, road stories were told and just before I left, Keith and the roadie were at the piano bar doing bad karaoke versions of Eddie Rabbit songs. :-) A perfect ending to a perfect evening.
The Drams
6/20/07
Peavey Plaza @ Orchestra Hall – Minneapolis, MN
“Alive After Five”
Set 1
1. The Shape I’m In (The Band cover)
2. Hummalong
3. Trust Jesus
4. Man of Note
5. Never You Mind
6. Crudely Drawn
7. To Love Somebody (Bee Gees cover)
8. Winterlong (Neil Young cover)
9. Des Moines
10. You Won’t Forget
Set 2
1. Pinball (Brent solo)
2. Lazy Guy (Brent solo)
3. Robert Cole (Brent + Chad)
4. Biscuits
5. Billy Pritchard
6. Dunk You in the River
7. Anything
8. Gimme Back My Dog
9. Make a Book
10. I Am the Cosmos (Chris Bell cover)
11. Straight to Hell (Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ cover)
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