The Afghan Whigs – October 29th – Bluebird Theater

Estimated read time 2 min read

2014-10-29-098-MKPhotos by Mitch Kline

The Scene: I’d venture to guess there were fewer than a handful of people under the age of 30 at nearly full Bluebird last Wednesday night. This was a crowd of 90s college kids (like me), who’ve stuck with this band through a long hiatus and multiple lineup changes that has left only founding members Greg Dulli and John Curley on board.  Despite the bumps in the road, this crowd was amped to see their band, out on the road in support of Do to the Beast, their first studio release in sixteen years – and it’s excellent.

The Afghan Whigs: The Afghan Whigs were a defining 90’s band for me during my college years but I was never able to see them perform live, so this was my chance to tick off a bucket list band from my college days. If this is supposed to be another half-assed attempt to reunite a band to its former glory, Greg Dulli and crew didn’t get the memo. It may be a mostly new lineup, but this band is tight, and Dulli prowled the stage with all of the swagger and snarl I would have expected to see in the band’s 90s heyday.

Their 90 minute set leaned heavily on Do to the Beast, but they dug deep into their catalog including Gentlemen tracks, “Fountain and Fairfax,” “Debonair,” and “Gentlemen,” a personal highlight that had an animated Dulli proclaiming “now I’ve got time for you and you and you and me!” New songs like the set opening “Parked Outside,” “Matamoros,” “Algiers,” and “Royal Cream” felt right at home with classics like “Step Into the Light,” “John the Baptist” and covers of Jeff Buckley’s “Morning Theft” and Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street.” If their latest album and this show are any indications, this is not the last we’ll hear of The Afghan Whigs.  

Energy:  A
Musicianship: A
Sound:  B
Stage Presence: B+
Lights: C

Overall: B

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