Photos by Scott Martin // Written by Steven Wandrey //
Dr. Dog //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
February 12th, 2015 //
Coming off their new live album Live at Flamingo Hotel that was released last month, Dr. Dog has an affinity for flamingos apparently. Either way, Thursday night’s show at the Fox Theater Oakland was very strongly akin to the album in both the band’s playing and its setlist. The band is as tight as ever, spitting its psych-folk pop with vigor.
Dr. Dog has come up the hard way by building a solid fan base on relentless touring. It’s plain to see that a large majority of the crowd are major fans, respectfully mouthing the words and not screaming them.
For better or worse, not much has changed for Dr. Dog over the last few years. The setlists have remained pretty stagnant, and while it’s nice to hear all your old favorites, some variety would be appreciated from a band whose catalog runs deep.
As far as stylistic development, the songs sound more concise and pointed compared to recent years. It feels like the band is accomplishing exactly the mark it’s going for sonically, and it doesn’t seem like it will be going anywhere anytime soon.
But should they be aiming for more? And how many more times do people want to see a dog do the same old trick?
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