My first time with Dr. Dog

I fell in love with Dr. Dog when I first heard the first song off their first album, “The World May Never Know”. I was in college, which was a vital place for all kinds of new music, probably most of it downloaded from the Internet. When I played the song for my dad, he said, “That’s a total Beatles rip-off”. Well, if you don’t want to listen to any more Beatles re-recordings, then you should listen to Dr. Dog.

My first impression of the band, when I heard them on disc, was that they were innocent, down-to-earth indie rockers. This meant that I was quite surprised when I showed up Tuesday night at the Beachland Ballroom during the middle of the third song to find a fog machine, fancy stage lights, the entire band wearing sunglasses, and an almost sold-out crowd. Turns out Dr. Dog sold more albums on iTunes than I thought.

Many of the people there were big fans, including my cousin who had seen them three times prior, once being at the music festival Bonnaroo. He was happy to say that this was of the best shows he’s seen by them. As I looked at the crowd, I began to think of the first time I was allowed to go to a concert on a weeknight. It was Interpol at the old Grog Shop, but Interpol didn’t go on until way past my honorary curfew that night, and I still have never seen them play. “Just come home at a decent hour,” my mom had said. I imagined that most of the young folks in this crowd were having the same experience, aside from having to miss the main act. My guess was that many of the people there rarely go to music concerts, which made for an extra enthusiastic audience.

Though part of me wished that I could have seen Dr. Dog in their puppy stage, I was happy to see what had become of them in the years since their first album. They now have five albums out and a pound full of dedicated fans. Keep an eye out for this up and coming quintet, you might even be able to catch them on Late Night, sunglasses and all.