WOW. I just got home from seeing the DTB tonight, and as my first show of 2006, it certainly did NOT disappoint. I showed up at the venue (small club, holds about 300 I believe – I’d say it was at about half-capacity) at around 9:30, catching the last half hour of the local band that was opening. They were pretty good, although didn’t really pique my interest. After around a half hour of setup and sound-check, the DTB came onstage at 10:30
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Opening with a guitar solo leading into Truth, the band sounded as tight and as killer as on the live DVD. When Devin began to sing Regulator, I was smiling like a kid in a candy store -- his voice sounded fantastic! Gaia and Pixellate were next, two of my favourite songs from the new album. While I thought Gaia sounded really lacking compared to on record (it was probably the least impressive song of the night), Pixellate DESTROYED. Dev sang the female vocal parts superbly, and the screams were just … :O. The band then played a pair of tunes off of Accelerated Evolution, Storm and Deadhead, the latter introduced as “a song about chicksâ€Â. Deadhead was one of the crowning achievements of the night, sounding simply amazing. The emotion and power behind Devin’s vocals was an awe to behold.
The band then launched into a song “to make pancakes and kiss your girlfriend toâ€Â, Life
. Probably the happiest, most life-affirming experience of the evening, the band’s performance was above and beyond what was already impressive on the DVD. Pretty much from Pixellate onward, the band was on a roll, with every song a hit (in my eyes), including EARTH DAY! -- which was, once again, far superior to the rendition on the DVD, including the backing vocals, which were pulled off much better IMO. Triumph was next, and once again saw the band topping themselves. The banjo section was played on electric guitar, and was a fun little break from the intensity of the rest of the song. When it came time to play the guitar solo, Devin shouted out “pretend Vai is hereâ€Â, and let loose with an excellent approximation of the solo.
Before the next song, Dev announced that he was going to be “wanking, so if you don’t want to hear wanking, go take a piss or somethingâ€Â. He then went into the extended guitar solo of Away (as seen on the DVD)…. and when the time finally came for the full band to join together and play Deep Peace… wow. Unfortunately, all good things must end, and Devy announced that the next song would be their last, “unless we come back out to play the obligatory encoreâ€Â. The DTB then played an incredibly rocking version of Bad Devil, with everyone really getting into it (especially Dave Young, pounding away on the keyboards). Devin was really working the crowd, gesticulating like a madman, and he even sang the trombone solo
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After leaving the stage for a few minutes, they returned to play Vampolka, complete with having the crowd yell “tequila!†in certain parts. The night concluded with Vampira, truly rocking and showcasing the band at their best (and the audience even yelled the “hey, hey!â€Âs). Anyways, that’s all I’m going to write for now, but suffice to say, it was a truly amazing show.
Setlist:
Truth
Regulator
Gaia
Pixellate
Storm
Deadhead
Life
Earth Day
Triumph
Away / Deep Peace
Bad Devil
Vampolka
Vampira
