[Photos]: A Night of Revelry with Dr. Dog

Live at a Flamingo Hotel was a testament to Dr. Dog’s refined live performance and while it does ring true, it cannot compare to actually being in the same room with Scott McMicken and Toby Leamann. Joined by rhythm guitarist Frank McElroy, keyboardist Zach Miller, multi-instrumentalist Dimitri Manos and drummer Eric Slick, the boys delivered a solid set spanning the course of Dr. Dog’s musical career. Filled to the capacity of nearly eleven hundred, Asheville’s Orange Peel crowd welcomed the nostalgia of their earlier material like “Ain’t It Strange” and rejoiced in their latest tunes, such as “Broken Heart.” One that especially stood out was “Shadow People,” which they played towards the end of their encore set. I refuse to believe I was the only one experiencing a heavy heart in that moment.

Another unique highlight of the show was during the encore when Dr. Dog brought out Floating Action to back them up. A local Asheville band, the guys were label mates on Park the Van, which released Dr. Dog’s ’07 We All Belong and ’08 Fate. Of course, those albums led to Dr. Dog signing with Anti- Records but it was reassuring to see they’ve maintained those old friendships while climbing up an indie ladder of success. Their accompaniment may have also been why the encore proceeded to last much longer than anyone in the crowd anticipated. After about four songs in, Dr. Dog then just started fishing for suggestions and just played until the curfew had to be enforced.

Their opening act, mewithoutYou, also delivered an impressive performance and appeared to have quite a strong fan presence – something a little unusual at most concerts. Brothers Mike and Aaron Weiss, Rick Mazzotta, Brandon Beaver and Greg Jehanian comprise the indie-folk-punk group, whose lyrics are laced with Judeo-Christian themes. Perhaps the major appeal behind the group is their ability to perform well-crafted compositions in a genre not typically associated with religious sentiment.

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If you haven’t seen them yet, check out the rest of their tour dates below.

04-01 | House of Blues | Houston, TX

04-02 | House of Blues | Dallas, TX

04-03 & 04 | Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater| Austin, TX

04-06 | Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa, OK

04-08 | Liberty Hall | Lawrence, KS

04-09 | The Pageant | St. Louis, MO

04-10 | Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL

04-11 & 12 | House of Blues | Chicago, IL

05-08 | Shakey Knees Festival | Atlanta, GA