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After many years of being away from each other, these guys are still tight. Greg's voice was impressive. The sound, lighting, etc were amazing. They put on an incredible show. Definately worth seeing.
The Afghan Whigs were amazing! I also enjoyed the openings acts, King James and the Special Men, and particularly, Joseph Arthur, almost as much. The sound in the New Orleans Civic Theatre was outstanding. What a perfect, intimate venue for music!
This is a band that just keeps getting better. Even though the Afghan Whigs stopped for over 10 years their front man, Greg Dulli, never had. And it showed in the performance. On cue vocals, high energy, electric show! I had the pleasure of seeing them back in '99 at the Shim Sham before they broke up and they still know how to move a crowd. And there was a crowd.
...The Afghan Whigs are one of them. It's always interesting to see veteran acts reunite years after their peak. I think most smart fans cautiously go in with an expect-the-worst, hope-for-the-best attitude. Not necessary for the guys -- they haven't missed a beat. Dulli & Co. (not completely the original lineup) effortlessly channeled the same energy of two+ decades ago and completely blew us a way. Must see.
This is more a review of the room and the audio engineering of the show. The volume remained at 100 dB almost constantly thru the evening, resulting in booming distortion, bass, and muddy sound that rendered much of the playing indistinguishable. It was difficult to even recognize some songs immediately, because one fart sounds pretty much like all the rest. The sound was equally bad on the opening act, a single guitar and vocals, so over-amped it was pointless. I suspect the acoustics of this old-school hall are not meant to handle that much gas. It's not like the Afghan Whigs are some death metal band -- their songs are nuanced and the dynamics crafted to provoke moods and emotions. I moved to different spots throughout the hall, and the sound wasn't any better anywhere -- not even by the sound booth. It was just absurdly bad. The show was a little on the uninspired side, with Greg Dulli forgetting the words to the forgettable song, "Algiers", and stopping the song cold. Later, the guitar tech brought out the lyrics written on a big sheet of paper, and they did the song again. If Dulli can't bother to remember the words, why bother playing it once, let alone a second time. I made the trip to Detroit from Dayton, OH, based on the assumption that it would be a better show in a smaller venue, rather than going to see them at their festival appearance in Cincinnati. I think I made a mistake...
I last saw the mighty Whigs in the early 90's at the Phoenix amphitheater during the World Cup in Pontiac and it was a memorable show that I longed to see them again! They did not disappoint at all! They played most of the new album and mixed in the classics all the way back to first album! I would recommend this show to any one who wants to see an incredible singer and a killer bassist and a tight band that rocks! Keep on playing guys! Ohio's finest bands ever!
