Lack of practice hits a sour note
WHATEVER else you can say about Evan Dando, the man is a survivor. After years of line-up changes, drug issues and general inertia, Dando has revved up The Lemonheads engine for a 26-date jaunt around Europe to support their new covers album, Varshons 2.
Looking like a wandering early 1990s Lollapalooza refugee who has been picked up straight from the campsite and dropped off in Dublin’s Middle Abbey Street in 2019, Dando ambles on stage with his three bandmates (including Boston veteran Chris Brokaw on guitar) to warm applause.
Starting off with Hospital from 1996’s Car Button Cloth album, they race through a succession of breezy tunes such as Down About It and The Great Big No, the crowd nodding their heads in appreciation. It soon becomes apparent, however, that all is not as it should be.
As it’s the first date of the tour, you expect things to be a bit loose. But there are occasions when loose begins to sound too generous and phrases like ‘all over the place’ creep into your head. Dando is the chief culprit, forgetting words, forgetting notes, leaving out entire verses before returning to the song in question to see it out. It begs the question of how much rehearsing the band have done for this tour. The answer, it seems, is not a lot.
It reaches a nadir on an appalling stab at The Eagles’ Take It Easy, which features on Varshons 2. That’s one varshon which needs a lot of work before it’s played live again.
There is an argument, though, that this is all part of Dando’s charm and it’s a valid point.
His have guitar/will travel reputation has matched the mood of his songs with the Gram Parsons comparisons adding further romance and mystique to the whole package. Dando knows his worth, too, and the acoustic middle section tonight (with Brokaw eagerly backing him up) just about succeeds with Being Around and The Outdoor Type always well-received.
Ultimately, the quality of the songs saves the day. Confetti, My Drug Buddy, Break Me, It’s A Shame About Ray and I Just Can’t Take It Anymore all have a swing and punch about them before the band deliver a knockout one-two encore of Into Your Arms and Dawn Can’t Decide. Just keep rehearsing, lads.
Varshons 2 is out today on Fire Records