We know you’ve been on the edge of your seat, waiting expectantly for Citizen Dick’s first road show, covering Blitzen Trapper from Chicago to Detroit. We pulled out all the stops on this one, with pictures, commentary, set lists, and even a few words from the Trappers themselves to share with you today. So sit down, strap in, and prepare to live vicariously through our Blitzen Trapper adventures.
Diamond Jim Reporting from Chicago
If you caught Friday’s entry, you probably already know that I love the Empty Bottle. I would have been stoked to go there just for the cheap beers and to hang out with Radley (pictured below), the black cat who calls the bar home; so the fact that Blitzen Trapper happened to be playing two shows there on Thursday had me overwhelmed with joy. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting the Empty Bottle, you should know that it is definitely not your typical concert venue. It is, however, your typical neighborhood dive bar that just happens to feature some of the best live indie rock shows in Chicago. As you might imagine, the place is a small, dark, and intimate no-frills type of joint, just the way I like it. It is so intimate, in fact, that no one in the room could have possibly been more than 30 feet away from the band when Blitzen Trapper took to the small, dimly lit stage, which was packed full with 6 grown men, 4 guitars, 2 keyboards and a drum kit.
The first set of the night started off with one of my favorite tracks from Furr, “Stolen Shoes & a Rifle,” and took a mellow tone early on with a heavy dose of more material from their most recent album such as “Sleepytime in the Western World” (after which singer Eric Earley reminded the crowd that the first headlining show they ever played was right there at the Empty Bottle just a few years ago), the title track “Furr,” and “Lady on the Water.” But once the band fired up “Black River Killer,” followed by the hard rocking classic “Murder Babe” from Wild Mountain Nation, the crowd really started to get going and the show took on a new, slightly more intense tone. From there the set was sprinkled with a mix of old and new material, with the standouts including “Big Black Bird,” “Love U,” and another of my favorites from Furr, “Fire and Fast Bullets.” All in all, it was a very strong and diverse set, closed out with a stellar rendition of the Blitzen Trapper anthem, “Wild Mountain Nation.” And by the way, I stole the set list. Check it out below:
*Although “Devil’s A-Go-Go” is listed here, they did not play it due to time constraints. Good thing I was able to take in both shows, eh?
After the first set came to an end I was forced out into the cold Chicago night for a bit while the venue prepped for show number two, so I strolled a few doors down to the Blind Robin where I enjoyed a pint of Cleveland’s own Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and a quick game of Scrabble. About an hour later, after getting my ass thoroughly kicked at Scrabble, I was back at the Empty Bottle waiting for Blitzen Trapper to take the stage once again. As soon as I returned I could sense a completely different energy in the bar, and at that point I realized that I was about to experience a completely different show from the one I saw just a few hours earlier.
The late show began just after 11:30pm with a hard and fast rendition of “Fire and Fast Bullets,” followed immediately by an absolutely epic romp through “Saturday Nite” which ended with an outrageous mini-jam session that featured Eric Earley wailing on the electric guitar. At that point, Eric mentioned to the crowd that they might have gotten a bit “too crazy” (not possible), with drummer Brian Koch reminding us that this is what the band is capable of when they “reach for the stars,” providing some memorable banter for the crowd; this something that was missing from the first set, likely due to the tight time constraints of the early show. The next several songs, including “Stolen Shoes & a Rifle,” “Murder Babe,” and “Big Black Bird” maintained a high level of energy and kept the crowd rocking until a small acoustic break midway through. The acoustic portion of the show featured Eric and Marty on stage alone performing a cover of “Cocaine Blues” and a few other tunes. When the rest of the band returned they picked up right where they left off, rocking out with “Black River Killer,” “Gold for Bread,” and a handful of others before closing out with a mind-blowing one-two punch of “Devils A-Go-Go” (thankfully they actually played it this time) and “Wild Mountain Nation.” In this blistering section, the band was able to treat us to a small and stripped down encore that consisted of Eric, Brian, and Marty performing an acoustic cover of Dolly Parton’s hit “9 to 5.” To wrap this all up, after two complete shows I actually left wanting to hear more; that is when you know you just witnessed a phenomenal performance. And by the way, I stole the set list (picking up on a possible theme here?). Check it out below:
Citizens Brian and Kevin Reporting from Detroit
Our journey was a touch different from James’ in that we had to burn through three hours of highway before the show. Diamond Jim can hop on a train and rock out; we’ve got to trek across Ohio, slog through Detroit construction and sort out where to park in a foreign land. Happily, we made it to The Magic Stick relatively unscathed, sound in mind and body, but with a speeding ticket from Ohio’s finest in the glovebox.
We pulled into the venue just as the doors opened, our brief detours resulting in strangely ideal timing. The Magic Stick is in an apparently recently refurbished area of Detroit, with high class eateries rubbing elbows with seedy corner groceries. The venue itself is in the second floor of what seemed to be a manipulated warehouse, with exposed duct work and high ceilings. It’s a bit cavernous, longer than it is wide, and the acoustics, depending on one’s position, ranged from eardrum rupturing to pleasant.
(Editor’s note: Keep this in mind in the following paragraph: we’re not moist-pantied fanboys, but we’re also not Kurt Loder, dig? We’re journalists and fans at the same time) We were doing some generalized milling about before the show and bumped into guitarist Marty Marquis. We chatted for a minute about the tour and the broader world. We were worried that the Trappers might be tired after two sets in Chicago and a long night on the road, but Marty assured us that they were fresh and ready to kick out the jams. Best part of the conversation: Marty’s belief that the Obama administration will mandate kindness from border patrol guards.
Marty also talked up opener Alela Diane and his assessment was spot on. The quintet, fronted by the winsome Diane, played a nuanced set of countrified blues, with soaring three part harmonies and solid musicianship. The set struck an emotional chord with the audience when the guitarist was introduced as Alela’s father; his work on the telecaster and mandolin were a clear highlight, but the vocal acrobatics with his daughter were both technically astute and indicative of a genetic love for harmony. We were not familiar with Alela’s work before the show, so a standout track for us was the cover of “Gold Dust Woman.” It takes some brass to sing Stevie’s songs, but Alela pulled it off. At the merch table after the show, she passed along that they love playing those more personal covers. It made us want to wrangle an invite to a Diane family holiday. They’ve probably got a violin prodigy cousin squirreled away. Alela Diane was a perfect opening act and someone to keep and eye on in the future.
The crowd was well primed for Blitzen Trapper, and they came out of the phonebooth with the cape on, ripping through four blistering cuts before giving anyone a chance to catch a breath. The night’s second song, “Saturday Nite” is, essentially, a dance song, and it had everyone, even the hipsters, ducking and weaving. The cap to the opening blast was a deeply freaked out “Sleepytime in the Western World,” which devolved into clomp and clatter before regaining its composure and shuffling to the finish line. It’s an intricately crafted song and it’s impressive to see the sensibilities transferred live; this delivery of complexity is a trick the Trappers have down pat and one they pulled all night.
The clear reason that the band’s able to get the live show to sound as smart as it does is that all six members are wildly and diversely talented; nobody does one thing. Each member has a toybox of instruments at their disposal, which they use with vigor and attitude. For example, Marty plays the big ass farmer cowbell as acutely as he does the ax. (Another Marty highlight: his declaration after “Lady on the Water” that everyone should buy melodicas and form a “Grand Melodica Army”) The band’s chameleonic ability to play a vast array of instruments well gives the band a huge sound on stage; it’s as if the twelve hands on stage are fifty.
The setlist did a solid job delivering both more accessible newer material (the hits, to be succinct) and more raucous and eclectic older material. “Furr” got everybody to sing along, but only the tuned in were nodding their heads during “Miss Spiritual Tramp.” A highpoint was the three-song dive into psychedelia of “Gold for Bread,” “Jericho” and “Love U.” Blitzen Trapper turned up the distortion and hammered through those songs without pause or concession. It was a thrilling display of power and chops.
As all great things must end, the set closed perfectly with the blistering “Devils A Go-Go” and “Wild Mountain Nation.” (This coincided with the tail end of James’ shows, so folks in Toronto and beyond should NOT be trying to beat traffic.) In a set that weaved through nearly every song from Furr and half of WMN, it’s a fitting shout-out to their loyal fans to end with the two songs that essentially sparked some of the success they’ve been enjoying. Interestingly, Marty mentioned in our chat that the last time they played in Detroit, Fleet Foxes opened up for them in the very same venue to a mere 60 intrepid souls. The 400 fans at Magic Stick tonight, regardless of what songs they came to hear, caught two of the best in the Trapper arsenal at the end of the night. ”Devil’s” smacked the audience with a palm full of erratic intensity and the guys’ were clearly going for it here. Maracas, keys, blips, pounding bass lines, punchy guitars and shake your ass rhythm wrecked the audience before “Wild Mountain Nation” gave the couples one last track to smooch to.
The encore involved a three part harmony and reference to Detroit Rock City. When we talked to Diamond Jim after the show, we figured the encore was very similar to the second set at Empty Bottle the night before, but it had its own highlights, particularly the crushing “Cracker Went Down” off of their first album. The pulsing blues jam was a fitting way to wrap up an exhaustive and highly charged 3 concerts-in-24-hours marathon.
In two nights, we got a ton of killer live music. There’s too much that we love to describe in detail. When we sat down to write this review, we were a tad overwhelmed. It’s difficult to pinpoint, at least in the Detroit show, what stood out, because everything was a highlight. We were lucky enough to catch Blitzen Trapper this past September in Buffalo, NY where they opened for Iron & Wine. Even in a more calm and stripped down set, it was obvious how hard-working and invested these guys are in their craft. When standing in these tiny venues watching them rock out, it’s almost as if a dual certainty emerges. On one hand, the personal anthems and quirkily talented musicianship resonates very well in an intimate environment. However, it’s also obvious that these guys are soaring, enjoying making music and getting the crowds asses to shake. Make sure you get the chance to see them on this tour, becuause tiny venues may be a thing of the past real soon. Take a cue from your Dicks and pile into the car if they’re not hitting your home town. (We’re looking at you, Syracuse.)
As we left the show completely satisfied (snagged some free stuff on the slide at the merch table, bought a signed vinyl of Wild Mountain Nation and Alela Diane’s new LP), we had just one little job left to finish. Not with luck, but with great and dexterous skill, as is the pattern, we stole the set-list. Check it out below this review. Also, enjoy a few photos from BOTH shows below, and then click on the link to head over to our Eye Candy page where you can view even more. With a yawn (we’re tired, dudes), we leave you with two last thoughts:
If you only take two things away from this adventure, let them be:
1. NEVER miss a Blitzen Trapper show if they come anywhere near your town
2. Citizen Dick ALWAYS gets the setlist. Always.
25-plus kick ass pics from our tour diary-Click Here!
Blitzen Trapper – “Gold For Bread”
Buy Blitzen Trapper music at insound!
