Sunday, December 30, 2018
State Theatre, Portland, Maine
I got a great tip early on in the career of Lake Street Dive that they were a band I’d want to see live. I saw them for the first time at One Longfellow Square back in December of 2011 and was blown away. They’d played Portland maybe once before then, but were still quite unknown. I think there were only 30 people in the teeny room that night, but I still remember being absolutely floored by Rachael Price’s voice. I started writing whatbreesees.com a month later and reviewed my second Lake Street Dive show late in 2012. The word of mouth had gotten around by then and they packed the house that night at OLS. To see Lake Street Dive live is to love them, surely, and seven years later, Lake Street Dive has earned much more of the attention they richly deserve. I’d listen to Rachael sing the phone book, if phone books were still a thing. One of the top Google searches that somehow sends people to whatbreesees.com continues to be “is Rachael Price married?” Y’all–I don’t know, but her songs make it sound like you’ve got a chance!
Dan (adorably) made a mix CD of some of his top favorite songs for me early on in our relationship. He knows how much music means to me, so totally charmed me, and Lake Street Dive’s “Good Kisser” appeared on it, too. I am sort of sad in a nostalgic way that I have to see Lake Street Dive at crowded, sold out, giant venues like Thompson’s Point these days, so I’ve kind of stopped seeing them live. Dan had never seen them live, though, so I got him a ticket as one of his Christmas presents. I even agreed to sit in the balcony with him, which is a serious rarity for me. He made me a delicious dinner, and we arrived at the State Theatre as show opener, Dustbowl Revival, took the stage.
Dustbowl Revival was spirited and had great stage presence, but their songs were too repetitive and surface level for my taste. I think they’d make an incredible wedding cover band, though, which is meant to be a compliment. They were very entertaining, but their songs didn’t pierce my soul at all, which is what makes music matter to me in a way that would make me a fan.
Lake Street Dive took the stage to an adoring, sold out crowd, and folks danced and sang their hearts out all night long. Rachael’s dance moves have reached a whole new level, Bridget killed on the upright bass, McDuck played all the instruments, Mike’s drum solo was insane, and Akie Bermiss on keys was outstanding. Akie joined the band in 2017 and has added texture and richness to their funky sound. His unexpected and straight up gorgeous cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” was a highlight of the whole night.
I was glad to hear all of the Lake Street Dive hits in person–“Call Off Your Dogs,” “Bad Self Portraits,” “Good Kisser,” and “You Go Down Smooth.” I was especially happy to hear Rachael gave some context for “Shame, Shame, Shame” (give me some back story at a show and I’m over the moon), saying “frustration of being powerless is real, but we also hope to put as much positivity as we can into the world with our songs. So we are expressing our frustration, but we are hoping to make some changes.” My favorite song of the night was “I Can Change,” which is the closest Lake Street Dive has to a ballad. Give me a slow, sad song for the win any day!
This deserves a special paragraph all it’s own. Lake Street Dive’s perfect cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was one the best things I’ve ever seen performed live! HOLY SH#T! What an incredible way to end a super fun night!
Dan and I chatted with Sean (who reviewed this show on Forest City Magazine) on the walk home and learned they’d played pretty much the same set list both nights, but their dazzling “Bohemian Rhapsody” cover encore was special to our show only (boom!). Something Dan especially appreciates about live music is when a band is saturated with a lineup of equally-matched, impressively talented musicians. Lake Street Dive is the epitome of talent and showmanship. What a delight to see them again live and a perfect end to my 2018 concert year, too!
xo,
bree
whatbreesees 